How Does Knowing Change You?
by mypettaylor1
Summary: I've compiled some of my favorite HTTYD stories, embellished them, and created a whole new plot! Hiccup was found out and banished from Berk. A month after the exile and Berk can't help but feel their community is missing something. One night they get a visitor who opens their eyes to all they had blinded themselves of, and what would've been if only they had been a bit kinder.
1. Chapter 1

Twist in the Story:

Gobber left the forge for the day and locked it behind him, mourning the fact that he couldn't leave it open anymore. Hiccup would usually lock up for him after finishing whatever crazed project he'd come up with that week. He hobbled to the Great hall, which at times doubled as a meeting hall; it was the only structure in town big enough to house the entire village population at once. Gobber sat with a tankard of mead to drown his sorrows.

He picked at his plate of chicken. The cloud of misery surrounding the man ever since Hiccup's disownment almost 2 months ago, prevented others from nearing the weary smithy. According to Viking custom, grief was best dealt with alone, and with large quantities of alcohol.

As the man stared into his half-full tankard, he noticed some upside-down images reflecting off the surface of the liquid and looked up at the adjacent wall. His eyes widened as the image of rippling water sped by his face. He touched his cheek, to assure himself that his face was indeed dry, and blinked several times to insure he was seeing correctly; never in his life had Gobber seen moving images of this sort before and they gave him an uneasy feeling. Before he could turn to see if anyone else had noticed the apparition an achingly familiar voice greeted his ears.

"This is Berk." It was Hiccup's voice. The disgraced Viking boy that was cast out of his home for befriending a dragon; the highest treason imaginable to a Viking. Gobber dropped the idea of alerting the others and watched the image in front of him as the angle rose above the rolling sea waves to reveal his village.

The old veteran chuckled at his former apprentices sharp sarcasm in reference to the island and its inhabitants. His remark about "charming Viking demeanor" was particularly funny, given the circumstances surrounding it. the battle he remembered well enough. it was the last large conflict before this present calm; the longest they'd ever experienced. Some of the villagers were missing the chance to show off their skills, but Gobber was just happy that no one had been hurt recently. He'd seen enough injuries and heartache to last a lifetime.

Then his own face appeared, and he bitter-sweetly remembered the banter between him and his young charge. No one else had traded words with him like the lad had, and probably no one would again. A chuckle escaped him at Hiccup's accurate description of himself. "Meathead indeed."

When the other kids appeared, Gobber couldn't help but smile at the love struck tone his apprentice used to describe Astrid Hofferson. The girl was as fiercely aggressive as her father. Hiccup had no hope of catching her eye, even before the dragon incident. Oh well; who was he to tell the fishbone to stop dreaming?

The next conversation perturbed him slightly. Hiccups inventions were hopeless and always had been, but had he been too harsh with the lad? He was doing his best with what he had. When he began categorizing the different kinds of dragon kills, Gobber realized just how little he thought of himself.

Hiccup was noticed, and not only when his inventions caused havoc in the village. People loved his metalwork, even if they didn't know it was by his hand. Helmets hammered out by him fit better and didn't dent nearly as easily. Astrid's axe hadn't failed once since the boy started sharpening it. The Gronkle comment made Gobber pause. No girl did look twice at the lad, but he was sure that if they'd given him time to grow into himself, some of the young lasses would pause to take a second glance, right? And since when did the boy need status? He was the chief's son for Thor's sake! It's not like someone could steal his birthright! The boy was completely right about the Nightmare though. You didn't go after one of those unless you were highly trained or a fool. Hiccup, in Gobbers opinion, was smart to not try and take one on.

Something about the way he described the Night Fury bothered the double amputee. If he accepted it's status as the greatest prize, then why had he been riding the beast instead of hoisting it's head on a pike? These differences spiked the smithy's curiosity.

Of course he had to leave his accident-prone protégé alone, with a thirst to prove himself and an open door tempting him away from the safety of the forge, into the waiting claws of a Night Fury; the Unholy Offspring of Lightening and Death Itself. He sat stiff as a board, flinching as Hiccup ran out into the chaos of the night, barely dodging flying weapons and spurts of flame; dragging his blasted contraption after him.

Gobber noticed one small detail in the midst of the raid. Stoick is seen throwing a net over a cluster of Deadly Nadders just before Hiccup reaches the empty hillside. The boy makes the same grunting yell his father's been gracing Berk with for as long as Gobber can remember when he throws down the handles and opens his machine. Gobber is one of the few people in Berk who has come to know both Chief and ex-heir, and often recognizes similarities in their mannerisms, postures, and expressions.

The lack of music drew his attention back to the images. The blacksmith held his breath as Hiccup waited for the black beast. He blushed at his girly squeak when the shot was taken and Hiccup was knocked on his rear, but just as quickly felt the blood running from his face at the sharp smack of the bola-net and the animalistic screech that can only mean one thing. Hiccup HAD shot down the Night Fury. Gobber felt elated for his apprentice during his brief moment of celebration, suddenly understanding his chagrin at his predicament after the raid. He'd been telling the truth all along and no one listened. Not even Gobber, someone who clearly knew him best, given the many hours they shared in the forge. They'd all underestimated the smith-in-training.

These thoughts made him bite his lip as he re-witnessed his closest friend publicly humiliate his only son. Really? Could Stoick not wait until they were alone to tell the kid off? Granted Hiccup had been right all along, but no one had known that. They'd all assumed the boy was fabricating stories to save his own hide. And the lad probably felt bad enough already for destroying the bridge to the lower level of town. That's why he was trying to cover it up with smart remarks, the way he does whenever he gets burned at the pit. Didn't anyone else notice this? Why hadn't Gobber when it counted?

The big man had to bite down on his lip to hide his internal frustration when the other young'ins started ragging and ridiculing his apprentice. The fact that he hadn't known the truth about the Night Fury at the time didn't feel like an excuse to Gobber for allowing such nonsense. He wanted to wring Snotlout's neck. Well, the next time he heard someone bad-mouthing his student, Gobber would be sure to remember this. He wanted to start yelling at people, particularly Stoick and Snotlout, but the moving images kept his attention.

…

 **So first off I would like to make it clear that I am developing a new plot from existing stories, with permission from the original authors. This chapter belongs to sierra. steinbrecher** **who has graciously allowed me to adapt her work. Please let me know what you think of it, and whether you have any idea on how to improve as I go along. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Stoick's gut wrenched unpleasantly as he watched his boy dejectedly trudge home after that last disastrous raid. He'd thrown his son to the dogs, without any fatherly compassion or consideration to buffer his boy from the jeering comments of his peers. The brazen chiefs shoulders slumped in shame as his only son laid bare Stoick's failures as a parent.

"I really did hit one." Yes he had, and Stoick hadn't paused a moment to even consider believing him.

"He never listens." No he hadn't listened, and now he really wishes he had. The worst part was that this hadn't been the first occasion where he'd brushed off Hiccup's side of the story. There had been an occasion once where one of the smaller bridges by the docks had collapsed and Hiccup had been found at one end with some self-made tool, claiming that he was trying to fix it. Or another time where his son couldn't find his favorite welding hammer, and had asked Stoick for help finding it. The man had brushed off his sons worry with the excuse of "look for it tomorrow". It had taken Hiccup three days to find the hammer. Snotlout, who'd taken it for an awful prank, returned it by slamming it into Hiccup stomach. But when Hiccup came home with a bruise to prove it, again Stoick cast the incident aside as boys playing rough.

No, this was the son who betrayed him and his entire tribe, befriending a dragon. Thinking of the scaly beasts filled Stoick with anger. But his hardened expression didn't last past his sons next sentence.

"And when he does it's always with this, disappointed scowl like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich. Excuse me barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered and extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone."

The imitation was difficult to watch. Stoick's heart throbbed painfully in considering that Hiccup believed himself a mistake. How had he let Hiccup think these things? Sure over the years he'd been burse with the boy, but only because Stoick had a mini-heart attack every time his son endangered himself. He loved his beanpole of a son, and it hurt to know that his boy wasn't aware of that love.

But it hurt a whole lot worse when his best friend reinforced that belief. Had he led no one to believe that he cared for Hiccup? In all the desperate attempts to keep his kid out of trouble; in the reprimands that were supposed to assure the people of Berk that he was trying to coral the tornado of destruction that seemed to surround the boy? No, apparently he hadn't. Because the deadpanned face Gobbers comment was met with, nailed home how badly he'd failed at fatherhood. He didn't want to hear, whether it was spoken aloud or not, that Hiccup believed Stoick cared nothing for him. It wasn't true. But he obviously hadn't communicated that.

"Stop trying so hard to be something your not."

"I just want to be one of you guys."

The last phrase hit Stoick hard. Had he driven his boy away? Into the company of dragons?

...

 **Thank you for the supportive reviews! Now this chapter is rather short, but the story is only just taking off. I will be diving into a much thicker mess soon if you'll only bear with me.**

 **I realize in chapter one I didn't denounce my claim to the characters; almost all of my characters belong to Dreamworks, Cressida Cowell, or fellow fan writers that have allowed me to adapt their work into a fresh story. As the story develops I will be recognizing the original authors each in turn, but this will be the only time I say that I don't own the HTTYD characters. It will apply for the remainder of my story. This particular chapter came again from sierra. steinbrecher.**

 **I appreciate all constructive reviews, and thank you again for reading my work.**


	3. Chapter 3

**WOW! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! Over 45 Favorites and Follows! That's amazing! Now these next few chapters will be rather short, but don't worry, I'm still on the exposition! The story will get much thicker and more intricate! Again this Chapter is adapted from sierra . steinbrecher** **!**

 **Chapter 3**

Astrid shifted restlessly in her seat as she watched the images of her town, her people, and most noticeably her greatest nuisance, play out in front of her. She'll admit she was wrong about Hiccup and the Night Fury, but that didn't excuse how much trouble he'd caused over the years. There was nothing wrong with her actions. She left him alone, didn't tease him like her peers loved doing. She rarely ever even spoke to him. There was nothing for her to feel bad about, right? His relationship with his father wasn't her problem, and the berating by the adults he usually deserved.

She watched as the images changed to the Great Hall, anticipating a rally, calling for dragon heads. She was met with reluctance and in her opinion weakness. The Chiefs urgency to make a preemptive strike against their enemy sounded like a good idea to her. She was rearing to go on a hunt next season, if her parents would allow it. So the lack of enthusiasm to join the hunt astounded her. She couldn't wait to get her first taste of battle, to stain her axe red and maybe get a few scars out of the deal.

But everyone else seemed to hesitate. They'd just had a fourth of their flock stolen. Why didn't they want to annihilate the perpetrators? Then Stoick threatened them with babysitting duty and everyone jumps aboard. So they wouldn't fight for their own honor, but throw Hiccup in as incentive, and suddenly they all wanted to go?

Her indignant frown became a glare as Stoick brought up training "new recruits". As if anyone in her age group had ever held a shot at beating her. She became even more incensed at the memory that someone had. Hiccup had risen from blank space, to the hero of the arena in a matter of weeks and she'd hated every minute of it.

But her petty anger faded as she watched her chief criticize his own son. Okay, so the guy didn't listen on occasion. That's no reason to assume he couldn't focus. Some of his inventions she'd seen could be useful, and his metalwork wasn't bad. Wait. Had she just sympathized with Hiccup the Traitor as he'd been dubbed the moment he'd been caught with that dragon? Then Stoick had to go again and make some of the most ridiculous standards she'd ever heard. Splitting rocks with your skull? Leveling forests and taming seas? Hiccup's a Viking, not a God. It was little wonder why Stoick was always disappointed in his son with ludicrous expectations like that.

Then Gobber started talking about preparation and she snorted into her mug. Preparation my axe. This is coming from the man who teaches by letting the dragons breathe down is students necks. But then she had to laugh at the accuracy of his statement. Sure enough, the next part of this odd transparency was Hiccup getting into trouble yet again. She sat back to enjoy it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Stoick couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched his frustrated son cross out yet another area on his makeshift map. The boy had some talent with tracking, to be able to mark the island so well. It made the large man question what else he didn't know about his son.

"No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon!" Stoick tried not to grin too widely and for the first time since the start of this strange tale, noticed noises not from the wall. The snort alerted him to Gobber's presence at the next table. Stoick rose and moved to sit beside his friend who greeted him with a glance and toothy grin. The friends returned their attention back to the wall where Hiccup proceeded to poke his eye out with a branch. Their chuckles at his bad luck were stifled by the sinister music and panning of the view down onto a splinted tree and upturned dirt. The trench wasn't man-made and it put both men on edge. Stoick's sudden rush to yell at Hiccup to run surprised him. The music grew in suspense until Hiccup reached the dirt peak and the Night Fury was revealed in all its glory.

Stoick actually thought the animal was rather beautiful with it's strong legs and wings, and it's black hide that masked it in the night. It didn't look particularly ferocious, with its dulled claws and lack of sharp teeth visible. It looked like a sky fighter, not something that would win hand-to-hand unless it used its fire. That was devastating enough to make up for it's lack of other weaponry. Hiccup had a similar reaction as he contemplates killing the beast.

Gobber wondered what the floppy things on the beasts head were. They looked like a cross between horns, ears, and frills. He wondered what there purpose was. Balance, or speed in flight? He stopped the rambling in his head when the view showed the dragons open eye. Most of it was bright green; the same green as Hiccups'. The pupils were widened slightly, appearing more intelligent than either man had ever expected out of a dragon. And when Hiccup came into view, it was clear that he saw all of this, and more.

He had the knife ready, but kept hesitating each time he made eye-contact with the dragon. Stoick frowned at the screen for his own stupidity. Hearing Hiccup trying to talk himself into killing the beast only made it clearer that the brash Viking philosophy didn't suit his boys gentle demeanor. Stoick wanted to slam his head on the table for trying to hammer that mentality into his son. Then he remembered the talk with Hiccup before he left for the nest hunt. His son had explicitly told him that he couldn't kill dragons. It hadn't been a matter of skill, it had been a matter of heart. What had he done to his boy? Why hadn't he listened?

Gobber sighed as the lad let the knife fall and took a few steps back. He'd seen Hiccup look guilty many times, but this time was different. It was an all consuming guilt that said he'd intended for this to happen, and was now realizing how wrong he'd been. Gobber glanced at Stoick and noticed an identical expression on his friend, to that of the boy. They were more alike than most people believed.

Stubborn, bad listeners, guilty conscience, it was all there in their mirrored expressions. Really it was appalling that no one, not even the boys had seen it before. Both men were drawn from their thoughts at the sound of a rope snapping. They gaped in horror at the sight of Hiccup freeing an angry and lethal dragon. What was the lad thinking? The instant the beast was free, it would pounce and kill him. Honestly, did the boy have a death wish?

Sure enough, the dragon pounced, knocking Hiccup onto his back. Both men jumped to their feet, before remembering that this had already happened, and Hiccup clearly hadn't died. With sheepish half smiles to each other, Gobber and Stoick sat down, tense in every line of their bodies. How had Hiccup gotten away? The music rose to an ominous pitch as the wall centered on the dragons menacing glare. Pulses raced, and mugs of ale were bent out of shape in too tight grips, as the men watched Hiccup stare death in the face, and get off with only an ear piercing scream from the dragon before it flew away.

Stoick inspected his bleeding palms where his nails had dug into, while Gobber let go of his mangled tankard. It seems that Hiccup shared their relief, as he fainted a moment later. Stoick chuckled in relief. It caught Gobbers attention that the beast made a shaky exit, crashing into trees and the like. It had flown straight when they'd caught Hiccup on it's back. Was the ordeal of being captured in the bola, and almost skinned alive the cause of the crooked flight? Or something else? This tale was piling on the questions much more than answering them.

 **What do you guys think? Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Snotlout wiped his eyes, and tried to control his laughter. Of course the first thing his cousin does after escaping a dragon is faint. The encounter with the Night Fury might have been fairly interesting in Snotlout's opinion, if it weren't for that clumsy ending. Typical Hiccup.

The kid really was useless. He'd been offered the perfect opportunity; Fame, girls, respect, if he'd only brought back the dragons head. Instead his genius of a cousin let the beast go, essentially offering himself up as dinner. Why the dragon hadn't killed him Snotlout didn't know, but it was amusing nonetheless to watch Hiccup fumble.

He grinned again as Hiccup gets caught sneaking into his house. The brash boy had to cover his mouth with his hand to muffle the laughter when the Chief and his son started talking over each other. Hiccup was always good for a laugh, that much he would admit. Then he watched in envy as his toothpick of a cousin is handed the opportunity for dragon training. Envy swiftly changed to confusion. He didn't want it? Oh come on! Your dad, the Chief offers up a chance for glory on a silver platter and you turn it down? What was going through the fishbones head?

"Rephrase. Dad, I can't kill dragons." Oh. This was about what happened in the woods. It wasn't that Hiccup wasn't capable, but rather that he lacked resolve. He was admitting to having a fault and didn't want to embarrass himself further. Snotlout had to respect that, at least a little. Then how had he ended up in the ring with them?

The next part of the conversation made that clear. "Can you not hear me?" Stoick didn't take no for an answer, and Snotlout had to have a little pity for his cousin. When he and his dad argued, Spitelout at least took the time to hear his sons side of the story. Stoick wasn't doing that.

"No more of... This." Ow. It was one thing when Gobber told him that he wasn't fitting in, but to hear that from your parent? That had to hurt. Hiccup's sarcastic response made Snotlout suddenly reconsider his cousin. He uses sarcasm a lot, and he used it to hide the hurt of his dad's words. It made him wonder for the first time how often his cousin had to hide his real feelings. Snotlout never stood up well under criticism; it was one of the reasons why he drove himself so hard. To avoid remarks like, well, what Stoick just said to Hiccup.

Odin help him. He'd been making fun of Hiccup since he was old enough to understand how different his cousin was. Hiccup barely flinched at the insults people dished out, whereas Snotlout probably would have served up a couple knuckle sandwiches. His bony cousin had a thick skin and Snotlout had to at least admire that. He even finished the conversation with sarcasm; impressive.

 **Le. pechi here's that Snotlout POV you wanted! Let me know what you guys think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Welcome to dragon training." Astrid remembered this lesson well. It was her first taste of Gobber's insane teaching methods. She remembered how she and the other teens dreamt of their first battle scars. She took a sip from her mug...

"Pain. Love it!" and spit it back out in a coughing fit. Where in Valhalla had that sarcasm come from? Gobber's attempt at reassurance sounded demeaning, even to Astrid. She was lost in thought until the gate was opened releasing the Gronkle. She sneered at Snotlouts cowardly blabbering. For all his talk, he sure didn't want to put his training to the test. Even Hiccup wasn't complaining. Wait, why wasn't he?

Come to think of it, after his remark that lost her a mouthful of mead, she couldn't remember him complaining, whining, or even speaking. He didn't seem all that shocked by Gobber's teaching methods. Astrid wanted to smack herself for her stupidity. Hiccup had been the apprentice smith. He'd be familiar with the way Gobber taught anything, and know how to work around the lesson without getting hurt. The shield maiden leaned forward, prepared to scrutinize every detail of the brunette's behavior.

Gobber was of the same mind, but for a different reason. That Night Fury had not gone for the kill when it had the chance. In fact, in all his years of teaching, most of the beasts preferred to disarm their victims rather than kill them. They wouldn't have half the warriors they did if this wasn't true. So he fixed his eyes on the Gronkle scrambling around and trying to get back in the air. This lesson would prove his theory, or smash it to small bits.

The first thing the young lady noticed about Hiccup's actions is that he followed every order Gobber gave as quickly and exactly as he could. The blonde man may have helped him pick up his shield, but the whacking of his axe was completely of his own action. Now that she thought about the purpose of the lesson, survival, hiding seemed like a very good idea, if a bit cowardice. Of course the minute the smith told him otherwise, he was back on the field, following instructions and trying to stay alive. While Snotlout attempted to flirt with her, Hiccup actually learned the lesson. Astrid would have to pay better attention to this.

But the "Meathead", as Hiccup had so affectionately labeled him, was not interested in his students antics. No, it was the flying cannon that held his attention; particularly its aim. It's first shot was placed very accurately between the squabbling twins, hurting neither of them, but crippling their ability to get close enough to hurt the dragon. Gobber doubted the beast realized what it was doing, but if it wasn't making those decisions, what was?

Instinct perhaps? Or maybe the years in the ring had conditioned it to fire at certain objects, like shields and weapons. Nightmares were the only dragons that were ever killed intentionally, so they were the only kind that needed to be replaced on a regular basis.

As he kept watching, the dragons aim became more apparent. It didn't fire at defeated foes like Snotlout or the twins, only the teens who still had shields. In short, it aimed for the shields. Somehow the beast had been trained not to hit the teens. But then it almost fired point blank at Hiccup, and Gobber was even more confused. Were these dragons harmless or not, intelligent or not? He wished Hiccup were here to bounce ideas off of.

In fact, both the young girl and burly man wanted to ask the boy questions, and mourned that he wasn't there to answer them.

 **So I wanted to apologize for my mishap on the last chapter. Apparently I had posted chapter 4 twice rather than chapter 5. The problem is fixed now; thank you TinySprite for notifying me. Tonight, because chapter 7 is so short I'm going to post it immediately after this chapter. Thank you guys again for the follows, favorites and reviews! If there are any questions you have, or ideas on where to take the story let me know! Your input really helps!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So why didn't you?" Stoick, who hadn't been present for training and was still reeling at his friends dangerous tactics, agreeably became just as confused as his son. As happy as he was that the Night Fury had chosen not to kill his son, he didn't understand the reasons behind it anymore than Hiccup seemed to. Stoick chewed his lip, while he watched Hiccup trek through the forest. Stoick had to admire the beauty of the cove. He'd only seen it once, and had been too preoccupied with dealing with his mutinous son to appreciate the peacefulness of the pond.

Then he jumped out of his skin in fright when the Night Fury reappeared. At this point he was seriously questioning whether Hiccup was slightly suicidal. He'd escaped the monster by the skin of his teeth, and was coming back for more? But the beast clearly hadn't noticed his boy, and was only trying to escape the confines of the cove. Why couldn't it just fly away? Hiccups drawing answered his question, but also made him pause. He hadn't known Hiccup could draw so well. That was yet another thing he hadn't bothered to learn about his son. His shoulders sunk in sadness.

 **This is the shortest chapter I will EVER write! From here on out the length will always get longer I promise!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Fishlegs' sat with a chicken leg halfway to his mouth aghast that Hiccup hadn't done what the Book of Dragons said and run. Hiccup's curiosity about dragons was equal to, if not larger than his own. They could have had such a great time talking about, and learning about the different kinds of dragons. Already this Night Fury was proving that some things in the dragon manual needed updating; considering they had nothing on the species.

When the wall shifted from early afternoon in the cove to a rainy night at the Great Hall, Fishlegs became apprehensive. He remembered this night, and the talk Gobber had given. It was the day he'd tried to share his knowledge of the Book of Dragons and been completely shut down. Why couldn't the twins grasp the merits of this treasure? Snotlout was even worse.

"I mistimed my summersault dive. It threw off my reverse tumble." Wow. Perfect Astrid Hofferson is nitpicking her performance again. What good was a fancy summersault when a Whispering Death came up from underneath you? What if you were fighting a Changewing and rolled into a puddle of acid by mistake? Or how about when a Timberjack chases you through the woods and slices away your only form of cover? You had to know your enemy before fighting. But of course everyone else thought sword swinging was all that mattered. And typically, Snotlout had to butter her up with compliments, completely ignorant to the fact that she wasn't interested in him.

"Where did Hiccup go wrong?"

"uh, he showed up." What was wrong with that? You showed up too. They were there to learn, and if Ruffnut wasn't going to pay attention, than she shouldn't have come. If you were going to insult someone, at least do it in a way that doesn't make you look like a moron. He stopped lamenting the twins half brain when he noticed something. Their table was far from full, but Snotlout was deliberately moving around to fill up empty spaces as Hiccup walked by.

It was probably a good thing that Hiccup hadn't taken a seat at their table. Snotlout would have bugged him through their whole meal. The other's, minus Astrid, would have joined in too, if only for the amusement. At least that way they were limited to verbal barbs, which seemed to just bounce off the Chief's son. He grabbed a plate and sat at the next table over, poking at his food. Why wasn't he eating?

A closer look at his face seemed to answer Fishlegs' question. People who were lonely, tired, and shameful seldom had much of an appetite, and those emotions were plainly written on Hiccup's face. Now that he was paying attention to the Chiefs son, the first emotion became bluntly obvious, and it shocked Fishlegs that he'd played a part in it. It didn't matter if he'd once imagined bonding with Hiccup over their shared love of dragon knowledge; he'd done nothing to turn it into a reality when he'd had the chance. He'd been too worried about being accepted by the "cool crowd" in his age group to lend a, now obviously, much needed hand to the village nuisance. With a father like Stoick, and no human friends, there was now no question why his posture screamed loneliness.

His exhaustion was now also clear. Trekking through the woods and encountering that deadly Night Fury, immediately after the hair-raising training session that morning would tire anyone out. The may have been why he hadn't fought their usual jabs with sarcasm that confused all but him and Astrid. It wouldn't have been worth the effort, given that it always went over the heads of the other teens anyway.

At the time though, Fishlegs had just assumed that the tired expression came from his horrible performance that morning and all the other fiascos before it. Now he realized that things ran much deeper. Hiccup had released a dragon. Released, and then followed said dragon, without making a hostile move towards it. That about summed up going completely against the entire Viking code. Oh, and lets not forget that he did this all behind his fathers, the Chiefs back. The pile was only rising and now that Fishlegs was paying attention, he could see these burdens in his former teammates eyes.

Then Gobber brings up the dragon manual and Fishlegs is happily distracted. He'd been so excited that night to finally share his knowledge with the teens. Tuffnut of course had to shoot down his hopes of intellectual discussion before they even began. Still he had to give his past/image-self credit for trying. But he was trying with the wrong people, which became mournfully apparent when Hiccup reached out for the book. Oh, why hadn't he stayed and taken his chances with Hiccup rather than futilely trying to persuade the "cool Vikings"?

"So I guess we'll share?" Those words stuck in his ears like inch long pins. Hiccup sounded hopeless, as if he was waiting to be shut down. How could he have ignored something so obvious when it was right in front of him? Watching Hiccup's crestfallen face as Astrid left him to his reading only made it worse.

Fishlegs watched in rueful sadness as Hiccup discovered the wonders of the Book of Dragons. Flipping through the various entries, the drawings appeared to be moving. Ominous warning after ominous warning voiced by the mellow tenor, changed the atmosphere of the scene. The music grew in suspense as he read, until he reached the page he was looking for.

"Night Fury" he read in a suitably spooked voice. Fishlegs eyebrow quirked again in puzzlement when he read the warning to avoid the beasts at all cost. He'd been quipped with the information so many times, yet these images had disproved the Viking knowledge that Night Fury's were ruthless killing machines. Fishlegs didn't know what to believe anymore.

 **Another chapter done! Unlike sierra. steinbrecher, (my inspiration for part one of this story) I'm avoiding the twins POV for now. Personally I don't like the way Dreamworks portrays them as two halves of one small brain. They'll be introduced into the story later. Fishlegs, and in fact all of the supporting characters will be receiving some well deserved character development so stay tuned!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"A little Night Fury pamphlet?" Snotlout started laughing at Hiccup's abysmal skills on subtlety. A rather loud shoosh alerted him to where Fishlegs was sitting not far to his left. Looking around for the first time, Snotlout noticed that almost all of Berk happened to be in the Great Hall tonight. Odd, he had forgotten everyone else when the images appeared. Movement caught his eye and he turned to see Fishlegs large physique lower itself onto the bench beside him.

A screech brought both teens attention back to the wall. The Nadder that they'd been assigned to fight that day was perched like a parrot on the maze walls of the arena, flinging its spikes everywhere. Fishlegs shuddered at the memory. Snotlout's eyebrows raised in surprise. He looked over at the blonde teen with a tiny bit of respect. So the Encyclopedia could actually defend himself. Who knew? Both boys laughed heartily at the twins abysmal attempt to stay in the Nadders blind spot.

"So how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Snotlout and Fishlegs leaned forward simultaneously, hoping to find out for themselves. After all, this may be the reason they found Hiccup with the deadly beast. Snotlout wanted to know how; he briefly imagined himself on the back of the most deadly animal known to Vikings. No, that's ridiculous. He wouldn't want to ride a dragon, that's not what Vikings did. They killed the pests, they didn't ride them, and his cousin should have known better than to betray his people. So why did he feel like he was hanging onto Hiccups every word?

While Snotlout was busy fantasizing, then being frustrated for fantasizing, Fishlegs was shaking his head at Hiccups poor attempt at a summersault. At least he avoided being bitten, long enough for the dragons attention to be transferred to Astrid and the groups obnoxious flirt. The first thing Snolout sees after his attention is drawn back to the moving images is his former counterpart making a fool of himself.

Fishlegs' giggling and superior smirk at his shorter companion got him a punch on the arm. Snotlout glared outwardly, but inwardly was cringing at his absurd performance. Of all the attempts and methods he'd come up with to win Astrids' affection over the years, this had by far been his worst. Well, not completely, he once went through a faze of insulting her to win her love which did not go well. He was a man of few words and abundant punches. He never knew the right thing to say to a girl, which made him wonder if Hiccup did. His cousin was never without a witty and sarcastic remark that left your mind reeling. He wore his dry humor like a second skin. Snotlout puzzled over these thoughts.

"Maybe they're nocturnal. You know only coming around at night, like an owl?" Leave it to him to still be asking questions when the arena walls are caving in all around. "Ha-has anyone ever seen one napping?" Fishlegs lowered his head to hide his giggle at Hiccups antics. His eyebrows bunched together when Astrid flung herself off the falling arena wall, landing on Hiccup in the process. He frowned at the twins inappropriate commentary, than flinched when Astrid placed her boot on Hiccups face to rip her axe away. That must have hurt. Snotlout just glared at the images, not liking the intimacy of the situation, even if it wasn't in anyway romantic.

Both boys shoulders tensed as they anticipated the shouting session Astrid was about to unleash on the still crouched figure of their fellow teen. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" Honestly, Fishlegs had to wonder the same. Hiccup never seemed very enthusiastic about dragon training, even when he became really good. The boys turned to stare at each other in clarification when Astrid's image repeated the underlying ultimatum; for us or against us. The pair sighed heavily at the statement. It held a whole new meaning to them now that they know what Hiccup had been up to, and clearly he'd made a decision, and it hadn't been them.

 **Wooh! Now we're starting to get into the nitty-gritty. Soon this story will begin to veer off into something completely different and hopefully great. I don't know, you guys tell me. Anyway, all rights for part one belong to sierra. steinbrecher, but part one will soon be over. Let me know what you guys think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Stoic was tempted to laugh when the image changed once again. Hiccup looked five years old again as he peered over the shield in quiet eagerness. He hadn't seen his son look so young and curious in... gods, so long. He did laugh heartily though when the boys shield got stuck between two boulders. Despite the light music playing, Stoick felt his shoulders tense up ever-so-slightly as Hiccup picked up the fallen fish and continued on foot into the cove; without protection might he add.

Stoick could feel his hand getting clammy as he watched the black dragon stalk his son from behind a boulder. The look in the beasts eyes made his heart beat faster. Luckily Hiccup caught sight of it before it could pounce. crawling down from it's perch, the dragon growled low in it's throat. Stoick thought for the hundredth time that his son was testing suicide when he held out the fish. He's going to get his limbs bitten off like Gobber.

But then the dragon did something that drew the chiefs jaw to the floor. It's eyes dilated from predatory to curious in an instant. It looked like a skittish cat as it crawled towards his son. Stoick was completely caught off guard when the animal recognized the threat of Hiccups dagger, and was even more befuddled that the dragon had the knowledge to instruct him to get rid of it.

He was indeed upset that his son disposed of his only form of protection. One half of his brain wanted to shake the lads shoulders; he'd exposed himself to a merciless beast, practically asking for death, and Stoick had spent the last 15 years trying to prevent this from happening. On the other hand, he couldn't help recalling that Hiccup had been at the dragons complete mercy before and it let him go. The man was utterly confused by this creature and it made his palms sweat in anticipation.

A strong pat on the shoulder alerted the chief to his best friend beside him who was also staring at the images in wonder. Gobber was watching the scene with mixed emotions. He knew his friend and chief would be confused and frustrated with Hiccup's reaction to the dragon, hell he was confused as well, but he also couldn't deny that the ebony beastie looked adorable in this moment. It sat on its haunches with wide eyes, and it's ear flapped in curiosity. Gobber couldn't remember the last time he saw something this cute; not that he'd ever admit the dragons actions were softening the old blacksmith.

When the beast crawled toward Hiccup like a newborn kitten and opened its mouth, Gobber found himself as equally confused as his apprentice. He thought he recalled the beastie having teeth when it stood over the boy threatening to decapitate him. Everyone in the Great hall jumped when the pearly whites shot out of the dragons gums.

"Teeth." Gobber gave one quick laugh at the lads frozen expression.

Stoick started relaxing, at least until the dragon had his son backing up until his back hit a rock, trapping him. "I don't have anymore." Oh, it just wanted more fish. Then what was it doing? Was it really going to- yep. The chief shuddered in disgust at the look of the half eaten fish. His eyebrows drew together in calculated scrutiny as he studied the pair, the dragon sat back on it's haunches almost like a human would; and it kept staring at Hiccup in an expectant manner. What was it waiting for?

His son answered that question in the most astonishing display of abdominal resilience he'd ever seen. Stoick had to focus really hard to keep his dinner down and the mead in front of him no longer looked appealing. Even Gobber was a little green in the face. He watched thin lipped as his son grinned at the Night Fury. His eyes rounded completely when the dragon after scrutinizing his sons face, began contorting its own mouth to mimic Hiccups signature crooked smile. It was by far the strangest thing he'd ever seen. His hands slipped from the table edge as he attempted to digest this onslaught of information.

This wild dragon was behaving more like an excited puppy than the deadly monsters he'd grown up fighting. None of what he was seeing made any sense. Although Gobber would have agreed wholeheartedly with his chief had Stoick spoken his thoughts aloud, His thoughts at the moment were a bit different. He was watching Hiccup lean toward the Night Fury with and open, almost childlike curiosity. The blacksmith hadn't seen his protégé look that way in a long time; and the two practically spent everyday together. He missed that expression on Hiccups face.

Despite the boys shy smile the dragon growled at the approaching appendage, and flew off. He chuckled shortly as the beast torched the dirt and curled up in a cat-like fashion. However, its very intelligent gaze as it watched a nearby bird flutter away sobered him right up. These images were certainly proving many of his preconceptions wrong. Gobber and the chief shared a laugh when the boy and beast shared eye contact. He got the distinct impression that the dragon was thinking, "Oh great, that kid is still here" as it covered it's face with what remained of it's tail. Who knew a dragon could have such an obvious personality?

Still, Gobber was drawn back to Hiccup. The lads face was so ...innocent, and...happy, and...unguarded. Gobber's stomach tinged in pain at the realization that Hiccup had been putting on a façade in the village; for so long in fact that he'd forgotten what the boys real smile looked like. It made him guilty to realize that he hadn't noticed. It made him almost happy that the boy had this dragon now, as he clearly doesn't have to pretend for the animal. The smith glanced to his left, wondering what Stoick was thinking of all this. The redhead glanced back but his expression gave nothing away. Stoick broke eye contact first and resumed staring at the screen, presumably paying attention, but Gobber saw his friends eyes shining with buried emotion and knew that his lug of a friend was currently having his mountain of order and principle swept out from under him like a rug.

He turned back to the images just long enough to see the Night Fury hanging from a tree like a bat. He bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud, though he could hear chuckles throughout the hall. Gobber noticed a couple things as he watched Hiccup draw a very accurate sketch of the Night Fury in the dirt. Firstly, the day had all but disappeared, and secondly the dragons large emerald eyes followed the movement of the stick Hiccup was wielding in quite an over-exaggerated fashion.

Then the dragon disappeared from view and came back with...a sapling? The old smith 's jaw fell open in realization that the dragon was trying to draw like his apprentice. He laughed fully and loudly when the shot revealed a massive scribble. The beastie seemed so proud of it's work! It even growled at Hiccup when the lad accidentally stepped on a line. Apparently the dragon is a bit touchy. Gobber smiled fondly at the intricate dance Hiccup performed to maneuver out of the "drawing".

The great hall fell into complete silence when the lad stopped dancing and turned around. In the back of Gobbers mind he knew that Hiccup hadn't died or lost any limbs in this encounter, but his breath caught in his throat anyway when the boy lowered his head and held his hand out. Now the dragon had the perfect opportunity to strike. It could get revenge from the one who took its tail away; had taken its ability of flight. But it didn't. Gasps of shock, horror, awe, and elation rang in the deadly silence as all of Berk gave witness to the first mutual act of friendship between a dragon and human in the islands history.

His eyes wouldn't blink, even if they wanted to. He looked around at his neighbors, customers, friends, only to see the same astonished expression reflected back at him. A couple people still had chicken legs halfway to their mouths. Snotlout had spilt his drink all over himself. No one knew how to process this information. All Gobber knew was that they all had made a giant mistake in banishing the chiefs son.

 **I apologize for the wait everyone! I think from now on I'm going to update once a week and actually get on a schedule! So expect a chapter every Sunday from here on out! Leave reviews! They help a lot!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Astrid sat lost in thought over Hiccup as the images changed. Not much of the following scene reached her turbulent thoughts until Snotlout made that ridiculous comment about fighting off dragons with his face. Gobbers explanation hit Astrid's heart much more now that she'd seen how tame dragons could behave. Hiccups expression caught her full attention. He looked crushingly guilt ridden and although she'd seen that facial expression on him before, quite often in fact, there was an all consuming ore around him that felt separate from the dozens upon dozens of instances before.

She contemplated the idea of saving a dragon that couldn't fly, because somehow, Hiccup had done just that; he'd ridden the Night Fury off Berk after all. "But the dragon didn't die! Hiccup left with the thing!" said an annoyingly familiar voice. Astrid turned around in her seat. Snotlout was sinking lower on his seat next to Fishlegs and the twins a couple tables over; having just realized he'd spoken his thoughts aloud. The twins rowdy laughter caused the raven haired boy to blush and frown. Behind Astrid on the moving picture wall, she could hear Tuffnut gloating about how he would be the dragon training champion. She felt incredibly odd hearing his voice in past-tense, while staring at the present day Tuffnut who wasn't speaking; well at least not words. He and Ruffnut were busy cackling over Snotlouts outburst. These moving images still confused the heck out of her.

"Haha yeah! It still is my destiny, sort of." said Tuffnut. His sister punched him in the jaw and Astrid rolled her eyes before turning back around to face the picture wall; just in time to see herself noticing Hiccups empty seat. She remembered watching him leave the campfire that night, but couldn't recall why she hadn't followed him. Her teammates laughter died when the shot changed once more.

Hiccup was in the forge rather late and drawing in his notebook. Astrid admired his skill. She mentally compartmentalized another trait of his, that she hadn't know about, into her memory to puzzle over later. Then he did something that made all the questions in her head disappear. He redrew the tailfin on his first sketch of the Night Fury. She heard Fishlegs gasp in realization as they came to the same conclusion. Hiccup had created a prosthetic for the dragon! Incredible! She turned her head and made eye contact with Fishlegs. He was just as awed by this new development as she. Suddenly Astrid found herself rising from her seat and joining her teammates, her mug of mead clutched in her grip for comfort.

Fishlegs thoughts were spiraling from the moment Hiccup left the firepit. A small twinge of guilt twisted his stomach at another reminder of just how unfairly they'd all treated him. No one except Astrid even noticed when Hiccup left their little party, and he suspected that her motives behind it weren't out of concern for the scrawny teen.

Then this bombshell is dropped on him. How in Thors name had Fishlegs not seen the prosthetic on the dragons tailfin? He was usually a very observant person; at least when It came to dragons. He wished the redhead was here. The blonde knew he'd enjoy getting all his questions on the Night Fury answered; maybe even sharing his love of dragon knowledge with someone who seemed genuinely interested.

Snotlout's thoughts carried a different tone. His cousin was physically a runt. He should not have been able to pump the bellows, or move the heavy metal, or even lift the shaping hammer, yet he wielded all the forging tools with relative ease. How is it that Hiccup, the village disappointment, can craft a dragons tail by himself, yet barely lift the fighting axe for training? You needed muscle to shape metal. But then he glanced sideways at Astrid who was glaring down at the table. Her arms were almost as skinny as Hiccup's yet she was the best warrior of their age group; not that he'd ever tell her that.

He'd been taught by his father that the more muscle you had, or the more visible it was, the better your fighting would be. Without it, handling weapons would be harder. That's what he'd grown up knowing as truth. But here were his cousin and future girlfriend, hopefully, proving him wrong. Perhaps his cousin wasn't as weak as he'd always believed. He just needed more training wielding the weapons. He was certainly a decent smith.

Fishlegs nodded approvingly at the pieces of the fin, and the meticulous attention to detail. The shape of the fin, the effort to make it light, and the joints that moved like real bone. Hiccup could construct such detail just by looking at the animal and sketching. Amazing! Astrid thoughts carried similar to her large companion, but were more infused with the sadness that she'd never known his skill and potential.

 **I AM SO SORRY YOU GUYS FOR NOT UPHOLDING MY PROMISE TO UPDATE ON SUNDAYS! I WAS A COMPLETE BONEHEAD! FROM NOW ON I WILL BE SETTING A WEEKLY REMINDER SO I DON"T FORGET LIKE AN IDIOT! Please forgive me and let me know what you all think, and if/where I can improve.**

 **ALSO, Thank you guys for the wonderful reviews!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Hey Toothless. I brought breakfast." Stoick smiled wistfully. Only his son would name a fearsome dragon something as mundane as Toothless. Hiccup had never been much of a warrior, but he was beginning to realize that if the boy was given a problem to solve, you wouldn't believe your eyes when he was finished.

Astrid eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs. That basket of fish Hiccup was carrying looked like it weighed forty pounds. She knew that the walk from the village to this cove took awhile. She wasn't sure _she'd_ be able to carry it that far, let alone swing it around like he was doing. Not to mention he'd also brought the tailfin with him. What other hidden secrets were these pictures going to reveal about the chiefs son? Apparently that dragons don't care for eel.

"Yeah I don't really like eel much either." Very true thought Gobber. He remembered countless occasions of watching Hiccup as a child, and the look on the kids face whenever he was served eel. It was interesting to know that Night Fury's dislike the fish just as much. What else about the dragon had Hiccup discovered?

Snotlout and the twins laughed manically as the dragon, formally dubbed Toothless, evaded Hiccups attempts to fashion the prosthetic tail. Astrid smiled fondly at the exchange. Fishlegs grin slipped when Toothless expanded his massive wings. He had a very bad feeling about this. Tuffnut fell backward off his seat when the dragon took off, Hiccup trailing along like a leaf. Ruffnut's fist banged on the table while she laughed and Snotlout was holding his stomach as he gasped for breath. Astrid and Fishlegs shared a glance of apprehension.

At the sound of the pair falling from the sky, gasps were heard around the room, and Snotlouts smile of jubilation faded when he wiped his eyes to see clearly. Hiccup managed to rip open the prosthetic in time and the boy and dragon shot thousands of feet into the air.

Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout all gaped wide-eyed at the sight. Hiccup sat astride an angry dragon, with a good chance that he could fall to his death, and he was cheering? He was either the craziest Viking Berk had ever seen, or the bravest. Astrid was banking on both. "Yes. Yes., I did it!" Gobber couldn't help but agree. Hiccup had always had a knack for inventing odd contraptions, but this? This tail, though it would need some intense adjustments, was one of the finest pieces of craftsmanship Gobber had seen from the lad. He had the strangest feeling that once the boy fixed the issues with the device, it would be something that the likes of not only Berk, but the rest of the world, would love to see.

Stoick wasn't marveling at the tail as most of the great hall was doing. He was rather preoccupied with regret. Over the years Hiccup had come to him numerous times, trying to show him his newest creation. And each time Stoick had brushed his son aside with the excuse of pressing chiefly duties, or that he was too tired. Truthfully, his sons inventive nature alarmed Stoick. He had no idea how to relate to a boy who would rather sit under a tree and draw, or talk to imaginary friends, than play with children his own age.

Now he wanted nothing more than to take away all the wasted years. Would it really have been so difficult to sit down with his son and let the boy show him what he'd made? He probably would have understood what motivated Hiccup to make his bizarre gadgets. He knew his neighbors took time out of their schedules to spend time with their children. His brother Spitelout spent hours training with his son each week, and he remembered Astrid's parents taking their daughter on weekend hunting trips when she was young. All his old excuses, that other parents could share duties with spouses, they weren't chief, even the excuse that they didn't have to raise a hiccup, they all rang hollow in the end. His deceased wife Valka would never have treated their son like this. No one should treat their child like this. And he'd gone far enough to banish his boy, because he'd never stopped to listen. Val would be ashamed of him.

He didn't deserve a son like Hiccup. The boy had only ever wanted his fathers attention, and had been denied it for so long that he sought out a dragon for comfort. Stoick lifted his gaze to the wall again. That black dragon had been there for his son where he should have been. He felt a rush of gratitude toward the animal that was completely foreign to him. Still, he couldn't deny that he'd seen the beast stand protectively in front of his son when the village found them. Perhaps Stoick could learn a thing or two about loving his son from the Night Fury. He shook his head as reality dawned on him; there was little to no chance of that happening now that he'd driven his son away. He'd be lucky if he ever saw his little boy again.

 **As promised here is the next chapter. I hope you all like the changes I've made. I'm currently working hard on part 2 of this story, so that all the chapters will be ready for you guys, on time! Not that this will spoil anything but I want you guys to be ready for a BIG (no pun intended) twist in this story! Soon I will be leaving behind sierra. steinbrecher's wonderful plot, and where I'm headed is where no one (that I have encountered at least) has gone before with theses characters!**

 **I'm really looking forward to it! I hope you are too!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Today is about teamwork." Astrid remembered this training session. It had not been her proudest moment. She'd let the boys distract her into losing focus on the Zippleback, and it cost her the win. Tuffnut only remembered this session because Astrid had punched Snotlout in the face, after they'd dumped water on her and Ruff.

"Prefers ambush attack, crushing its victims-"

"Will you please stop that!?" Fishlegs had the grace to look sheepish. He really hadn't been helping the situation, even if the information would have been beneficial under different circumstances.

"I'm gonna, there!" Ruffnut tilted her head at the shot of Astrid and herself partially hidden by the smoke. If she wasn't dead-set against ever admitting her brother to be right about anything, she'd admit that the girls had looked a bit like a dragon. But Tuff still deserved the bucket to the face.

All the trainees except Astrid flinched when Tuffnut got dragged into the heart of the gas. The sounds were amplified on the wall, making the visuals seem even spookier. It didn't seem as scary when Tuff started complaining about how injured he was. Fishlegs petrified face seemed rather amusing now that they knew nothing dangerous had come of it. He started spouting out statistics in nervousness, and threw his bucket too early to notice he'd gotten the wrong head.

The twins laughed boisterously at Fishlegs for getting so scared. The expression on his face as he ran off waving his arms was funny. Snotlout realized for the first time that if the Zipplebacks head wasn't so high, Hiccup might have won the lesson. He might have beaten Snotlout fair and square. He'd never before considered Hiccup capable of winning with conventional methods.

And then the moment Hiccup finally tamed a dragon came, and all of the Great hall seemed to lean forward in anticipation. Snotlout desperately wanted to know how he'd done it, but what he was watching didn't reveal anything knew from the first time. Hiccup appeared to be controlling the monster with his bare hands. How was he doing it?

Snotlout frowned in frustration. He was just talking to it and ushering with his hands, and grabbing an eel from within his vest and throwing it at the dragon. Wait, what? The eel! That's how he subdued the dragon. Snotlout wondered how in the Valkyries he did not see the bright yellow fish before.

Fishlegs buzzed with excitement. He was learning something new about dragons. Apparently many species of dragons don't like eels, not just Night Furies. This was a great discovery!

Astrid looked frustrated. She was mad at herself for believing Hiccup had magical powers, because for a short time, she considered it. She felt incredibly stupid for considering the crazy notion. The eel was a perfectly logical explanation, and even though she still didn't know why dragons freak out around them, it made much more sense than her first idea.

 **So I feel like this chapter's a bit short, my apologies. I'm getting into the nitty gritty with the last few chapters of part one and want to make sure they're perfect before I post them.**

 **Again thank you all for the supportive reviews! To Turtlekier42, no Hiccup is not on Berk presently. In the first few chapters it touched on his banishment from Berk; I'll be getting into that further in the story. As the rest of your questions will spoil the remainder of the story, I can only disclose that all will be revealed in time;)**

 **To rodina2000, in concern with your question, you have reason to be positive.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The music changed to a light and boisterous melody. Hiccup appeared to be making something in the forge again, but it wasn't clear what it was until the night changed to day and he held the object up to Toothless in the coves mid-day sun. It was a saddle. Several Vikings laughed at the boys pathetic attempts to catch the Night Fury in chase.

Gobber laughed at the pairs faces when Hiccup pulled too hard on the experimental rope controlling the tailfin, sending both into the pond water below. He nodded approvingly when the hook was added to keep his apprentice in the saddle. There was definitely some complex problem solving with the mechanism. Some handles were added as well. Extra safety precautions can never hurt, especially when riding a _no-longer deadly but still dangerous_ beast. Gobber remembered how many prototypes for his prosthetic arm he went through and wished he'd used more caution. He'd probably caused more damage to his stump than improving it. Hiccup was being very smart to be as safe as possible.

Astrid laughed at the look on Hiccups face when he took another tumble into a grassy field. It seems the tailfin didn't have any operations between fully open or completely collapsed. After stumbling off Toothless' (when had she started calling the dragon by it's name?) back, Hiccup then proceeds to stare in a most confused fashion at the beast's extremely cat-like rolling on the ground. The behavior astounded the shield maiden-in-training, who had grown up believing any reptilian winged creature in existence, was a mindless, heartless killing machine placed on this earth by the Gods for the entertainment of watching Vikings struggle.

Astrid's uncle Finn glanced her way and smiled. These images were quite amusing. The old war veteran smiled at the antics of the Chiefs son. Hiccup was turning the most deadly of dragons into a harmless house cat with nothing more than scratches. Just look at the way it arched into his touch! He switched his hand placement from behind the ear to under the jawline...

And the dragon collapsed in ecstasy! Hiccup stared at his hands in wonder, before a devilish smirk adorned his mouth. What in Loki's name was that boy planning now?

Astrid's eyebrows shot up. Now it ALL made sense. She couldn't understand how Hiccup had managed to subdue the dragons before without violence. This was how he'd done it; he'd been learning about their weaknesses through Toothless. The eels, the scratching, the grass that affected them? It was incredibly clever of him to fight them using their natural vulnerabilities.

The realization that his tactics were actually incredibly obvious, hit Astrid over the head with the power of Stoick's war hammer. She'd spent the vast majority of her life ignoring, perhaps, the most intelligent person in her village. And what had she done when his cleverness had finally earned him some regard in the village? She had lashed out in petty jealousy. Astrid wished Thor would open the earth and swallow her whole.

Fishlegs laughed out loud at the look on Astrid's face when Hiccup dropped the Nadder right in front of her. One glance at the real Astrid beside him though, was enough to silence him pretty quickly; she was really intimidating when she wanted to be. Still, these tactics were genius! Hiccup should have been teaching the lessons. All that the dragon needed to hault its attack, was the lack of a weapon. Toothless had warmed up to the redhead as soon as he'd thrown away his dagger, and Astrid's axe certainly looked threatening.

Gobbers thoughts almost mirrored Fishlegs' exactly. His theory from the beginning of this show was indeed being proven. The Night Fury had shown intelligence he'd never seen in any animal, and each time a dragon was approached without a weapon to threaten it, it behaved as docilely as Sven's sheep. Not for the first or last time, the smith wondered how no one, even himself had seen the revelations Hiccup was uncovering. His apprentice had tried to show them all what he'd discovered, and not a soul would listen. He frowned internally at the villages narrow mindedness.

Gobber smiled regretfully at the sight of everyone running to Hiccups table in the great hall as soon as he sat down. Stoick turned to look at him and in his eyes were shocked questions. Gobber relented with an offhand nod that said, "yes your son was very popular; for a time". Both men puzzled over the issue that, as wrong as this picture display was proving their view of dragons, Hiccup had also lied.

Stoick's furrowed brows relaxed at the sight of his boy once again playing with that dragon. His son was constantly coming up with ways the keep the beast entertained. Come to think of it, this was probably where most of his hair-brained inventions came from, a desire to please. And since he no longer felt he could make his father happy, he devoted himself to the one living creature that accepted him; a dragon. If only he'd noticed his sons behavior and actually praised him for his effort, rather than ridiculing him for his limitations. Hiccup wouldn't have run to a dragon for recognition had Stoick been a better father.

Snotlout, begrudgingly, had to admit the trick with the shield was pretty crafty. He'd never admit it out loud, but his cousin was actually sort of smart. Even he had to admit that Astrid's attempt to outshine Hiccup's sudden rise in reputation, was a bit foolhardily. Even when none of them knew how Hiccup was doing so well in training, his lack of fighting traditionally was still apparent. Why did she think she could achieve the same success, fighting predictably? He blessed all the Gods that these thoughts were his own; Lord knows what she'd do to him if she ever heard him speak this way.

Gobber finally got a decent view of the saddle configuration. The foot pedal alone was rather amazing, never mind the suspension lines to keep the control of the fin tight enough. Oh, how he wanted to have his apprentice back in the forge, teaching him how he made all this. The fin was five times more complex than even the most convoluted of his inter-changeable hands. What other elaborately remarkable ideas was the lad hiding in that brain of his?

Eyes wide, Snotlout watched Hiccup's first attempt at halfway decent flying. His puzzlement over why he'd tied the dragon to a tree stump, only lasted long enough for the images to answer the question for him. The cheat sheet came into view. Snotlout figured that knowing how to operate the fin and direct it _before_ flying _was_ a good idea. It was another reminder that just maybe, he hadn't actually acknowledged his cousins sharp intelligence before now, which made him feel at least a little guilty.

Then the rope snapped and the duo were sent tumbling backward with a gust of wind. Loud rambunctious laughter filled the hall as the pair struggled to get up. "Haha, butt shot!" shouted Ruffnut, much to the amusement of the adults. Some people whistled anxiously at the sight of the damaged saddle cables. That wasn't going to be easy to fix without tools. How did Hiccup plan to get out of this mess?

Apparently by sneaking a dragon through the village as it turned out. The boy leaned rigidly against the side of a house as the night patrol strolled by; while said Viking shouted "I remember that!" before shrinking in his seat a little at the glance the chief sent his way. Weren't sentries supposed to prevent these things from happening? Hiccups abysmal acting skills got a few chuckles from the crowd, and then the boy was towing the dragon through the dark and empty plaza like a dog on a leash.

"Hiccup, are you there?" the village at large gasped collectively. How was the lad going to get out of a confrontation with Astrid when he and the dragon were tied at the hip, literally? They pitied his attempts to act casually, Gobber in particular, because he was one of the few who knew of the boys infatuation with her. The hall sighed in relief that he'd managed to escape the all-too perceptive blonde. Astrid humphed in frustration that she'd come so close to figuring out Hiccups secret, and it had slipped through her fingers like smoke. That boy was either, insanely keen, or had the devils luck. Many were leaning toward the former.

 **Yes! Another chapter out of the way! Each week I get more excited for the precipice my story is approaching! I just can't wait to share it with you all. Thank you again for the supportive reviews! 130 followers?! Wow, it's an awesome feeling to know your voice is reaching so many people. Until next week!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello All who bother to read AN's! Firstly I want to thank you for reviewing. Each one brings a smile to my face. Secondly, This is my favorite chapter thus far, and I hope I did sierra. steinbrecher proud with my minor adjustments. This is my favorite scene of the movie and I hope this chapter reflects that. Anyway, on with the reading and please leave comments!**

 **Chapter 15**

"I trust you found the nest at least?"

"Not even close." Dozens of the adults in the great hall flinched. That sentence was the understatement of the season. Two ships had completely sunk, a third still functional, but unrecognizable. It was a miracle that most of them had made it home. That time around, their third attempt that season to capture the dragon nest, and they hadn't captured or killed a single one. The beasts were hard enough to fight on solid ground, with the help of torchlight, but in fog, and on the sea, with only a ships length for mobility? They'd been sitting ducks for the fire breathing monsters. It was little wonder why the raids were so unpopular, to the extent that the chief had to threaten them with watching his hazardous child in order to get volunteers.

"Well if by success you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then yes." Oh, that was ironic now. Now that Hiccup was gone, Stoick really didn't have any parenting issues. He was hardly a parent to start with.

"He's gone?" Several Viking parents grumbled disapprovingly at the question. Did their chief have such little faith in his son, that when people began praising him, his first conclusion was that the boy had disappeared? Did he have no confidence that the boy had turned out well? Granted Stoick had been right and Hiccup had betrayed them all, but this story was beginning to open their eyes to the fact that Hiccup may have been right about dragons. And growing up with a parent who expected you to amount to so little? It was a miracle the boy had any spunk left.

"Who would have thought, eh? He has this _way_ with the beasts." _We had no idea it was to this extent_ , thought Gobber. He and Stoick both watched with a strange mix of sadness, regret, and pride as they watched Hiccup soar over the ocean surrounding Berk astride Toothless; completely unhindered and free.

"Alright bud. We're going to take this nice, and slow." Stoick smiled in merriment as he watched his son open the prosthetic fin, seeing the dragon soar and the elation on Hiccups face as they rocket over the oceans' surface, thousands of feet in the air. The quick glimpse of Hiccups exhilarated expression did something unfamiliar to Stoick's chest. He felt happy at seeing Hiccup happy. It left a mixture of feeling in him that he was unaccustomed to. Despite the residing remorse that he so rarely saw that content expression on his sons face, he couldn't help but absorb the euphoria of the scene between these two unlikely friends.

This was more than a boyish curiosity or innocence, as when the two met. This time it felt more like a shared desire for adventure, like boy and dragon shared the same soul in two bodies, and this union sparked a fire that couldn't be tapped when separated. Stoick could literally taste the bond forming. It was a flavor unlike any other; it was fierce, passionate, affectionate, brave.

"It's go time, its go time." Working together, dragon and human glide in perfect synchronization under a natural stone archway, just grazing the waters' surface. It was a rather beautiful sight. The majesty of the Night Fury in flight. Many Vikings began cheering for the pair, but it changed to laughter when they clumsily crashed into a sea stack.

"That was my fault." SMACK. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it." Stoick chuckled right along with his people. The playful banter between the two was infectious; even when they argued. "Yeah! Go baby!" The cheering rose once more to an animated din. No one in the hall seemed to care that only an hour ago, they all were cursing the boys name, cursing how he'd betrayed them and the Viking way. Now his excitement touched all in attendance. The dragon and boy flew higher and higher, rising high above the clouds, exalting in their shared freedom. It was a breathtaking sight.

Then the hall fell deadly silent when the joyous music accompanying Hiccups flight drastically changed, and the image slowed so all could witness his detachment from the saddle, and his cry of freight as he and his reptilian companion plummeted back to earth.

Stoick had to remind himself that he'd seen Hiccup after this; that it had already happened and he clearly survived. The music, the dragon and boy screaming in panic, and the pounding in his ears all pressed on him to start panicking as well. His palms sweat profusely as he helplessly watched Hiccup attempt to get back in the saddle while Toothless spun out of control. He was more afraid for Hiccup than he'd ever remembered in his life. More afraid than when he lost Valka, and Stoick was sure his world was ending when he watched his wife get carried away and there was nothing he could do. But this, this was far worse. It was his child panicking and free falling, twisting his gut until he thought it'd burst in fear.

But his son had already gone through this without him...and survived. His heart swelled at the thought. Hiccup had been in this high risk situation with only himself to rescue him. He'd come out stronger in the end. The great hall breathed a sigh of relief when the boy managed to latch himself back into the saddle, the cheat sheet in his teeth. The Night Fury shot his wings out to burn off the speed of the fall, hurtling just over the treetops. It was an incredible sight.

But the moment passed and once again the pair were in danger; heading right toward a maze of sea stacks partially hidden in fog; a death sentence for sure. How was Hiccup going to navigate that without being able to read the cheat sheet? Turns out he didn't have time to anyway. Stoick's shock momentarily overcame his fear when Hiccup threw the sheet away.

Hiccup, with a determination Stoick had never seen before, hunched over Toothless' back and navigated around the stacks on pure instinct. The hairpin turns, flips, and limited visibility left no room for conscious thought; they were going too fast. One wrong move and both human and dragon would crash into a rock and be killed instantly, yet neither seemed afraid. They moved through the stacks as a flawless team, Hiccup leaning with the dragon and leading them both to safety. The boy glanced behind him only once as they now glided over open ocean, his shoulders falling in relief. The glorious smile adorning his sons face as he practically jumped for joy on the dragons back left a tear of happiness trailing down the chiefs face.

The whooping and hollering of his people finally registered in Stoicks ears. The chiefs eyes sparkled with joy as he came to an astonishing realization. His son was the bravest Viking of them all.

 **Just a weird note: this is my third longest chapter thus far, only behind chapter fourteen by by 250 words... but eventually it will be considered a short chapter... so stay tuned!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

When Hiccup's stunted expression popped up on the screen, Astrid joined in with the relieved laughter of her tablemates. His hair was blown back from the Night Fury's fireball, and his face was covered in soot. But you know, she rather liked it that way; people could see his face much better. His rather pretty green eyes were much more visible and she could see the contours of his face clearly for the first time. He had strong cheek bones and a nice jawline, and... was that a scar on his chin? The line was very faint but it was there. Astrid wondered absently how he'd gotten it.

"Ah, no thanks. I'm good." Snotlout snorted in indignation. Hiccup would be downright stupid to eat a hacked up fish head; especially since he had a roasted one right there. He didn't understand why the Night Fury kept offering him regurgitated fish, but nonetheless it was disgusting.

Fishlegs was eager to find out why Toothless kept offering Hiccup fish, not doubting that these images would answer his questions eventually. After a moment a small flock of Terrible Terrors flew down to the camp, and Fishlegs leant forward, eager to learn. They seemed to scurry around the pair, more cautious of Toothless than Hiccup; not that Hiccup looked threatening anyway.

Gobber groaned at the sight of the little buggers out of habit. Those dragons might not be dangerous by themselves, but they were a down right pain during the harvest season, when storing food for the winter was most important. Even mid-summer when crops were still growing, the beasties plucked food from the village.

It was interesting to see how the Night Fury dealt with the small nuisances. The food aggression didn't really surprise Fishlegs, but the tug of war for one measly fish was a little comical. He didn't know a dragon could laugh and mock. Dragons had a sense of humor, just like they had loyalty and sarcasm. Ok, now he really wanted to talk with Hiccup. If only he was still here.

Stoick smiled at the Night Fury's clever trick of using the Terror's fire power against it. These animals were smarter than he ever gave them credit. Just as he should have given Hiccup more credit. Hiccup then offered up one of his own fish to the dragon, which it lapped up happily. Stoick's eyebrows rose in surprise when the small reptile proceeded to curl up beside his son and go to sleep, purring in contentment. The chief and Gobber shared a glance.

"Everything we know about you guys, is wrong." Most of the people in the hall couldn't help but agree. When proof was shown so blatantly, how could they possibly deny the truth? This is what Hiccup had been trying to show them all along, and they banished him because they refused to listen.

 **I'm metaphorically biting my nails down to the nub. Only two more chapters before we say goodbye to sierra. steinbrecher and her wonderful take on the first movie.**

 **To ZGuest: regarding Astrid's uncle Fin, I am taking some fictional liberties and have decided to tweak the story to fit my narrative. In Riders of Berk it is common knowledge that Fin died by the hands of a flightmare. In this story he is alive and well. He serves a purpose to me and you will understand why I have chosen to include him later on, I promise.**

 **To dragonlover guest: This story will be LONG. I can't give you a ballpark chapter number, but this story is like a tree and we're still at it's roots. The trunk has yet to develop, and then all the branches will eventually take shape. There's much more in store. Thank you for the positive support!**

 **My thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, reviewed, or stopped to read this story!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Snotlout's widened eyes returned to normal as the scene changed once more. Hiccup was back in the forge, head on his desk, flicking his pencil around. The flight on the Night Fury had looked amazing, not discrediting the near-death encounter. Snotlout wanted a dragon of his own now, because clearly, Hiccup had been right and their ideas about dragons were seriously outdated. The short stocky teen wondered if their opinions had ever been correct. Fishlegs was going to love having all his ideas about dragons crumble to pieces. He glanced sideways at the husky blonde, but was surprised to see his face tentative and rather excited.

"Dad! Your back! Uhh, G-Gobbers not here." The blacksmith winched internally at Hiccup's rather strained attempt to hide his sketches of Toothless. He was really surprised that Stoick didn't seem to notice how uneasy his son seemed. He found it satirical that when Stoick finally seemed to be paying attention to him, Hiccup was hiding his ideas, whereas it had been the opposite for so long.

Stoick as well noticed the same thing. He could recall countless occasions where Hiccup had tried to show Gobber and him his inventions. And while the smith had helped adjust them or picked out a mistake where he found it, Stoick had never stopped to even hear the name of the new invention. How ironic that when he thought his son held promise and sought him out, Hiccup didn't dare try to share his discovery with him. What would he have done had Hiccup shared his dragon secret?

Would Stoick have reacted the same way as the village? Many people considered this angle before unanimously concluding that the chief probably wouldn't have considered his sons proposal. He hated the dragons, possibly the most out of anyone in the village. The obvious distance between the chief and the former heir left a stagnant aftertaste over the following scene. Just how had these two lived together for so long with such a strained relationship?

"You've been keeping secrets." Oh his cousin was so busted. He was rather surprised Hiccup was allowed in the ring after this if Stoick knew. The inquietude between father and son made it clear that there was no tenderness lost between them. This display actually made Snotlout grateful for his relationship to his own father, an easy camaraderie built on their similarities and shared love of strength.

"Oh Gods. Dad I'm so sorry...I, I was going to tell you. I just, I just didn't know how to, uh..." Gobber winced badly enough that his eyes squeezed shut. He had the biggest bonehead in Midgard for a friend. How in Valhalla had Stoick not seen the turmoil in his son? The shaking voice, the trembling knees, it was all there. What power blinded his idiot of a chief so easily?

The villagers had been wondering for years how their great leader could have produced a fishbone of a boy that was nothing like his father; and who reeked havoc on their town. For the first time tonight however, the roles were reversed. Now Hiccup was the one people pitied. How could the cleverest boy on Berk have such a lunk-head for a father?

"I almost gave up on you." What?! Almost every Viking parent in the hall simultaneously turned and glowered at the Chief. Under no circumstance, EVER, did you tell your child that you almost gave up on them. Stoick cowered under their gazes. He knew he'd screwed up astronomically.

The increasingly awkward silence soon following only fueled the villagers anger. A couple people even moved to seats further away from the chief. Tribal bonds were what held their society together. When you boiled those bonds down to their base elements, love and support were the heart and center of any healthy relationship. No one wanted to be near a man who'd shown nothing of the sort for his own flesh and blood.

Some were about to give up hope for their chief entirely when he pulled out the helmet. "I brought you something. To keep you safe, in the ring." Stony appearances softened as Hiccup lost that stricken frown and inspected the gift. Viking helmets were symbols of a right of passage, and even if it was just a precaution, the sentiment carried through the image. Many of them still glared at Stoick though; determined to be mad at his lack of affection for the boy when his job is to lead the rest of them in all ways, parental affection included.

"Your mother would have wanted you to have it. It's half of her breast plate." The table carrying the teenagers shook in accordance with their laughter, but the adults paid them no mind. The younger generation didn't know Valka. They didn't see the implication of the statement as it was. They remembered her quite well, specifically the infectious love that blossomed between her and Stoick. The days where their singing rang through the hall had been some of the happiest Berk had ever seen, even despite the dragon raids. For Stoick to give Hiccup one of the few remembrances he had of his lost love was a sign of great love, even if the boy couldn't see it.

Their chiefs heart was in the right place. He was just a complete muttonhead that knew close to nothing about his son. Then again, they were all pretty foolish. And Stoick hadn't been alone in his blinded fury at the discovery of Hiccups friendship with dragons. They were all guilty of rejecting and scorning the boy. No, Hiccup's fate was everyone's fault and it wasn't until now that the village began to see the hole left from the boys absence for what it was. They actually missed him.

 **Thank you graciously for the reviews! I'm stoked that you seem to like each chapter!**

 **To Mysticness24: there will be many happy moments in the story!**

 **To Yugithegodfatherofgames: This story is about to develop a whole new layer that will be introduced soon! I'd be spoiling the surprise by answering all your questions now, so hang with me until then!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The Gronkle flew past the villagers, bringing with it the dreaded memories of that fateful day; the final examination before Gothi determined who was most fit to kill the Monstrous Nightmare and become dragon training champion. Stoick's lips lifted slightly at the bittersweet sight of Hiccup wearing his helmet, the only time he would wear it. Valka would have liked to see it.

"Stay outta' my way. I'm winning this thing."

"Yes, please. By all means." Snotlout laughed heartily. Like Hiccup wanted to win in the first place. Others around him laughed as well, kids and adults alike. Hiccup could always make the village laugh. Several villagers were beginning to miss the skinny boys dry, sardonic humor.

Astrid flinched at her condescending behavior. She didn't mean so sound so harsh. "This time for sure." Ouch. She needed to work on being a better loser, like Hiccup. Why was he such a good loser, such a good sport? It couldn't be that he was just used to losing. Fishlegs for instance, lost almost as much and took twice as long to recover from it. What made Hiccup so resilient to his own failures?

Well, he didn't have a persona to uphold like she did. Without her fighting skills, Astrid wasn't very useful to the village. Her cooking was abysmal, and her sewing had more patches than stitches. Her only grace was in battle. She rigidly adhered to the image of a proudly skilled shield maiden, viewing any failures as an affront to her honor. That's it! Hiccup didn't have an image to maintain, not like she did. He didn't have any honor to preserve. He was just... Hiccup. There was nothing about him that he had to fabricate, and his faults couldn't be hidden no matter how hard he tried. Failure was a part of himself he accepted, incorporated into daily life, and moved on from. As someone who took failure in high offense, she had to admire his sturdy attitude.

She was beginning to realize Hiccup had many qualities to be admired.

The wall showed her throwing her axe around, shouting profanities, and throwing a childish temper-tantrum; not the most sports-man-like behavior to show the chief and village elder. She could feel her uncles disapproving stare boring into her back, and wished once again that the floor would open up and swallow her.

Then the announcement was made that Hiccup was selected to kill the Nightmare. Given all the new information they'd received, his unenthusiastic reaction to the news made a lot more sense. He actually looked rather pained. Knowing now where the boys head was at, garnered sympathy from a vast majority of the great hall.

"Yes, great. I can't wait. I am so...Leaving." The village hadn't been expecting that. They hadn't realized Hiccup was already planning to leave Berk. That day had been a whirlwind for everyone, and fine details such as the dragons saddle being laden with luggage had escaped notice. The town had been too caught up in handing down punishment, to see much else.

How would that day have ended if Hiccup had left peacefully? Before anyone knew about the Night Fury? It was a little too late to wonder now.

Astrid remembered this day with alarming clarity. She remembered being furious with Hiccup for beating her in training, still in the mindset that a fishbone like him had no right to beat her, a fearless Hofferson. Now though, she wished for nothing more than to go back and correct her mistake; apologize to Hiccup, and maybe convince him to stay as he was clearly right all along. Not being able to do so, she sat watching her biggest mistake replay in front of her.

Hiccup was clearly intimidated by her, if his stuttering was anything to go by. She hadn't been merciful either. In another context she might have laughed at his appalling attempt to miss-lead her. Astrid winced at the loud crack of his wrist being twisted. She'd been downright nasty to him. The girl kept her gaze down on the table when people started murmuring amongst themselves.

"That's for the lies. And that's, for everything else." Several people turned to look at Astrid in disapproval, forgetting that they themselves had treated the boy no differently. Toothless' introduction to Astrid spooked many, but it was only another reminder to the girl that Hiccup had saved her life, even after how she'd treated him.

"She's a friend." How easily Hiccup could placate that dragon, and they had called him incompetent! "You just scared him."

"I scared HIM? Who is him?" The Night Fury's aggressive greeting almost made Astrid smile. Now that she was reliving (for all intents and purposes) this memory, the dragons' evident protectiveness of Hiccup finally overshadowed her former stained view of the relationship. Now she could see the strength of the bond, rather than wallowing in the betrayal of it.

The villagers of Berk didn't know whether to be angry or proud of their shining star shield maiden-in-training. After all, she'd only done what would have been expected in this situation. She'd done the right thing according to Viking law, but now they'd all bared witness to how wrong their view of dragons was. Should they be angry with her for going to tell the chief, or angry with themselves for shunning such a smart young man? Questions circled in the minds of the villagers as they watched the blonde girl disappear from view.

"Duh-da-duh we're dead." No one laughed at the joke. The images froze suddenly on Hiccup's blue expression and Toothless' satisfied one. What was happening? Why did the image freeze?

 **I know by now this goes without saying... but thank you all so much for the positive reviews! They really make me smile! My thanks go out to sierra. steinbrecher for supporting my adaptation of her story, but now it's time for HDKCY to stretch it's wings and fly! From here on out is new territory! I hope you all are as excited as I am!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The image of the boy and dragon froze. People began looking around and muttering to each other. Why did it freeze? What was going on? What magic had caused this imagery in the first place? Then the image disappeared completely and the questions got louder. A loud bang abruptly silenced all questions as all the attention in the room was drawn to the doors of the great hall. In the door frame stood a young girl. She looked to be about Astrid's age, maybe a few years older, had shining auburn hair, milky skin, vivacious emerald eyes and wore a flowing ivory gown that draped over her figure marvelously.

The girl raised her head regally, "Hello." she was met with silence that seemed to compress upon the room, with the weight of Thor's hammer strike. "I understand completely if you all are confused at this point." Still, silence greeted her words. "I will explain everything, but first, may I ask that Chief Stoick and Astrid Hofferson stand please." Now the quiet murmurs began. The chief and shield maiden shared a long stare of apprehension, before standing and facing the beautiful stranger.

"Who are you miss?" Stoick asked of the girl. She smiled warmly at him.

"Who I am is not important at the moment. What is though, is that you all grasp what you just saw on the screen before you."

"What's a screen?" blurted Tuffnut.

"The images you all saw." came her sweet soprano. The girl had a soft, kind, melodic voice, "Of this village over the past few months; particularly one boy you all are familiar with. The images you just saw is an accurate depiction of your lives is it not?" she asked.

Stoick stared quizzically at the girl. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something familiar about her. This whole night had been an overwhelming whirlwind for him and he had trouble processing her words. "If you won't tell us who you are, then tell us why you're here." he ordered rather than answer her question.

She wasn't put off by his demanding tone, as he'd expected. She smiled again rather genially. "Certainly. I have been sent here to bring you all a message. Though you may not believe me just yet, you all are on a dangerous precipice. The scenes you have just witnessed are factors leading to a choice, made by one of your own, that will determine the future of this tribe."

"Your crazy!", "Witch!", and "This is ridiculous!" were a few of the more mild comments her explanation was met with.

"SILENCE!" shouted Stoick. He had to admit that she sounded crazy, but he wasn't going to attack the girl just for sounding like a lunatic. He wanted more information.

"What do you mean by all this?" he insisted.

"I mean chief, that I have been sent to save you all before the future can be set in stone; you all are in grave danger of ruining yourselves because of some bad decision making."

"Who sent you?" Gobber questioned.

"The gods have." replied the girl with a content smile. This answer was not well received, and Stoick had to shout for quiet again.

"Why should we believe you? You're a stranger." Stoick probed.

"Because I have not moved to harm a single one of you, nor do I intend to. Because you have already admitted that the images you've seen are nothing but the truth. Because your elder can tell that I speak nothing but the truth, that I have no ill will toward you and wish to help you escape the consequences of your choices." In the silence, the clapping of a staff drew everyone's attention to the village elder Gothi, who was slowly making her way toward the strange girl. The girl knelt down in front of the elder and the two had a silent conversation. After a moment the girl stood, and Gothi turned to Stoick. The old woman made a few hand gestures between the girl and him, and smiled.

"She says the girl speaks the truth Stoick. And that we should listen to her." Gobber spoke in his friends ear. Stoick was afraid of that.

"What exactly were those images?" Stoick asked, almost as a distraction from all the confusion this night had brought.

"Where I come from they're called a movie. It's a display of moving pictures and sound that convey a story. Berk's most important story, with your hero playing center stage. Can any of you guess who that may be?"

"Hiccup?" Astrid wondered aloud. It was the first time she'd spoken since the girl appeared. The girls gaze fell on her and if possible, her smile widened even further.

"Yes, Hiccup. He is the hero in your unconventional tale." Disgruntled muttering communicated the crowds disapproval. "If you cannot admit to yourselves that life on Berk has changed since he was banished, then maybe you can agree that the dragon raids that plagued you for generations have stopped." The muttering increased in volume. Some villagers were agreeing with the girls logic, some denying anything positive to be associated with the traitor of Berk, and some didn't know what to think.

"Hiccup was right all along that the dragons were not what you had painted them to be, you all just saw proof of that. So what is to say that dragons can't become friends, and allies? It worked for Hiccup."

The great hall at large paused to digest this proposal. Stoick could admit just as much as the next man that the raids had all but stopped since his sons departure, but what did that have to do with Hiccup? And this idea that dragons could be friends? It was preposterous, he couldn't believe he was even considering it. For the first time since he banished his son a month ago, Stoick glanced over to the wall of Chief portraits. His gaze slid past the portrait of himself and his father to the blank space for the next generation; where his and Hiccups portrait should be, where thanks to his hasty actions, that space of wall would remain empty forever.

If Stoick could go back and fix the mistake of pushing his boy away, he would do it. Was that what this strange girl was offering? A chance for him to make amends with his son?

"How?" he asked her.

"Pardon?"

"How do we do it? Fix our mistake before it's too late."

Again, Stoick got the strange feeling that he'd seen this girl before. There was something about the shape of her eyes, and the way that grin of hers made him feel like he was at home. She began walking towards the front of the room, stepping up onto the chiefs table that was only used for special occasions.

Turning to the crowd she said, "All the Gods require of you is that you sit and continue watching the screen. They have asked me to show you two alternative futures; one that the Gods originally designed for this village, and one that has been set in motion based on a single persons choice. They would like you to understand the implications a single choice can make in the scheme of an entire future; specifically the importance of making the right choice."

Her words effected the crowd more than they could comprehend, let alone articulate. How could one Berkian's decision have that much affect over the whole village? The concept was frightening to mull over. What was Stoick thinking? Did his decision to banish his son set Berk on a path for destruction?

The girl raised her arms slightly, addressing the great hall as a whole. "Are you all ready to witness what sort of life the Gods designed for Berk, and what path you have set yourselves on?" No one responded, but there were a couple apprehensive whispers and many people shared glances of affirmation before turning to face their chief who still stood. It took about a minute before all eyes were on Stoick. He glanced at Gobber, his best friend, who gave a nod of encouragement. Stoick lifted his gaze to the girl standing before him on his chieftain pedestal. The authority she radiated made him feel small, and he was twice her size.

She raised a delicate brow at him. "We're ready to watch whatever you have to show us." he said with a nod.

She smiled, satisfied. "Then by all means, please everyone be seated," The only two standing were Stoick and Astrid, "Now what I will be showing you, you will have not seen before. As it has not yet happened. This is the beginning of the future the Gods have designed for this village. Think of it what you will, and remember this is a different future than what you all are currently set on." She swept her arm to gesture to the wall where the images had disappeared, and they suddenly they were there once again.

 **YAY! Finally the moment I (and you hopefully) have been waiting for. Let me just say that if the anticipation has been killing you, I know how you feel. This is where the story really starts to take off. Let me know what you think!**

 **Also fun cliffenote: this is the longest chapter thus far, but it certainly won't hold that record for long!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Hiccup and Toothless stood facing an angry Astrid. Hiccup was trying to placate her as she glared at him. Once again she turned her back on him and ran in the direction of the village. "Duh da-duh we're dead." Now where the image cut off last time, continued to show a satisfied Toothless trotting away. "Woah woah woah. Where do you think you're going?"

Watching herself run for the village wasn't nearly as weird as seeing her shoulder get seized by a dragon paw. Re-watching something that had already happened to her was odd enough on principle, but watching something that has yet to occur? The sensation was unusual. The mild panic at watching her future self scream bloody murder, unnerved Astrid. At least when she was watching her past, she had a small sense of control, knowing what was coming, and whether something was true or not. She didn't even have that small sense of security here.

Hiccup then proceeds to drop her in a tree. Really? Did the boy want to kill her? Some people wondered if he had cracked under the panic of Astrid telling the village his dragon secret.

"Hiccup! Get me down from here!"

"You have to give me a chance to explain-"

"I am not listening to _anything_ you have to say!"

"Then I won't speak. Just let me show you. Please Astrid."

Part of her was excited to see what flying on a dragon would be like, while the other half was scared out of her mind. She didn't have long to wait before Toothless shot into the air like a rocket. Astrid clung to Hiccup like a leech, screaming in his ear, as he tried to appease the suddenly very angry Night Fury. But no amount of pleading, scolding, and patronizing would calm the erratic beast. How was Hiccup planning to get them out of this mess?

Then she apologized to the dragon for being rude and it completely calmed down. Who knew Night Fury's were sensitive to insults? The scene before her was utterly breathtaking. The melodic music joining with the sight of the sunset caught Astrid's breath in her throat. She, among many sat in awe as the trio made soft pirouettes in the incandescent sky. She wanted to reach up and touch the clouds, like her counterpart was taking full advantage of. She wanted to experience the freedom of flying; the invincibility and shared independence of bonding with a dragon.

Stoick was completely absorbed at the sight. Until now he had no idea what draw his son had in taming and flying on a dragon. Now he knew better; the surrounding clouds and setting sun was glorious, and he could almost taste Hiccups contentment of being one with the sky. He came to the realization that this feeling, bonding with the dragons was what Hiccup had been trying to show them all. Stoick felt remorse pile onto his shoulders in waves.

The vast chief glanced away from the moving wall to lock eyes with the young witch girl. She stood proudly and resolute in the back of the hall, surveying the villagers in authoritative contempt. Her green eyes seemed to pierce him with a hidden knowledge that she rejoiced in shouldering, yet was also eager to share with him; even mulling over that idea gave Stoick a head-ache. The girl nodded slightly as if in promise to reveal her secrets, before jerking her chin in the direction of the image wall.

Stoic watched in fascination as his son and the Hofferson girl twirled and glided through the ethereal evening sky. For some time he'd known that the Night Fury wasn't the sadistic beast their culture had painted it as, but to see it smile at the children atop it's back, flooded Stoic with emotions he couldn't quite place. And the view! Gods, the vantage point the winged beasts had of Berk was breathtaking.

Stoic chuckled at his sons nervous twitter when the maiden behind him decided to wrap her arms around his wiry torso. He glanced over to young Astrid, and smiled at her benevolent expression. Already, he could see that this story was softening her warriors heart. It made him grin to see Hiccup with a genuine smile. Even their stilted conversation about his sons final test in the ring couldn't wipe the hopeful delight from the chiefs face; that is until the Night Fury stiffened and shot unceremoniously into the fog. Nothing Hiccup was saying seemed to be getting through the beast, and it made many villagers nervous when the dragon dismissively shook off Hiccups consoling hand.

More and more wild dragons were materializing, and the growing tension onscreen was felt among the residents of Berk.

"It looks like they're hauling in their kill."

"Uhhh, what does that make us?"

Whispers of discontent were heard around the vast hall. What was the Night Fury doing? Had it lured the teens into a trap? Honestly, the sight was unnerving. Then a massive tower of rock appeared from the fog. The volcanic mass of predatory aggression left Stoic reeling. The Nest! Finally, after so many years of searching, lost lives and wasted effort, Hiccup had found it! The shock prevented him from even comprehending his sons phrase of, "What my dad _wouldn't_ give to find this." Unlike most of the dragons coming in, the Night Fury avoided the chamber below, flying close to the walls and searching for a ledge to perch on, but still in sight of the foggy cavern below.

"Well it's nice to know that all of our food is being dumped down a hole." The statement sparked angry murmurs among the village.

"They're not eating any of it."

A lone Gronkle hovered over the fog, dropping a rather small fish from it's mouth. An angry rumbling noise froze Berk's population in their seats. A massive monster rose from the oblivion and swallowed the poor creature hole! Cries of panic had a couple people rising from their seats. Gobber had dropped his tankard and spilt mead all over the table. Fishlegs squealed like a newborn yak and dove under the table in freight. Others were shielding their faces, unwilling to see the abomination that struck even Stoic the Vast speechless. With a racing pulse and his heart in his throat, the man watched the trio narrowly escape being eaten by that gruesome monstrosity.

It all made perfect sense now, and for the first time in his life, the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans felt pity for the reptilian beasts that have plagued his home for generations. The dragons themselves were merely servants, carrying out the endless task of feeding that mammoth devil. Hiccup had figured this out weeks ago...wait. No. This is the future, or at least the past that never happened. Otherwise Astrid would have known of this hellion. It was all very confusing. At least the children had gotten away safely. Stoic slowly relaxed back into his chair, trying to digest the fact that every ideal he'd ever had about dragons was falling apart at the seams.

 **Thank you guys for the amazing reviews! I'm so excited that you seem to like where this is going as much as I do!**

 **To Post U Later: There will come a point in the story where we do find out what Hiccup is up to while Berk is watching these futures, but it will be written as a flashback; sorry. The mystery girls' identity will be revealed in time.**

 **To HappyPup & SkySorrow: I hope this chapter answers your question.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"No, it totally makes sense. They're the workers and that's their Queen. It controls them."

Snotlout glanced between his fingers to see Astrid and Hiccup glide gently down into the cove. They had gotten back safely. Uncovering his face (and no, he was not hiding from the mountain sized dragon, he just... had to sneeze) Snotlout sat back on his bench to watch the desire of his affections argue with his runty cousin.

Hiccup didn't want to tell them? Tell anyone what they had found? Was he nuts? That thing could eat Berk in one swallow, and he wanted to keep it a secret? Astrids' similar incredulity arouses many suspicions among the people of Berk; that is until he shuts the blonde down completely with a single word. Snotlout is rather shocked that fearless, stubborn Astrid caves so easily to a single word. The black haired boy leans forward around Fishlegs to stare at the beauty who's never given him the time of day. Her full attention is on the image wall, and she looks... dazzled? fascinated? Snotlout can't put his finger on the emotion, but doesn't dwell too long on that. Rather he's surprised not to see her typical frown of determination, or angry scowl at those who would dare get in her path. She even laughs when her image punches Hiccup in the arm, and he complains in typical Hiccup fashion.

Snotlout's utter confusion at her behavior only multiply's tenfold when he looks back at the screen, just in time to see his blonde beauty kiss his cousin. The boys eyes almost pop out of their sockets at the sight. He whips his gaze to look at Astrid... Smiling? She's actually smiling, and there's a twinkle in her eye. Has the world turned upside down?

Unlike Snotlout's perplexment, the majority of the hall is also smiling at the sight. A collective awe is followed by quiet laughter as almost everyone turns to a blushing Astrid. For years the girl has been admired for her stoic behavior and her persistence in training, but the days of seeing a genuine smile or easy laughter were few and far between. It brought comfort to many, particularly Astrids' remaining family to see the young girl smile.

Gobber is one of the few people to catch her affectionate grin, before the lass wipes her face clean of emotion; well, almost. The blacksmith can't help but elbow his friend in good humor, directing his attention toward the teenagers table. Even from this distance the Chief and smith can see the unwarranted blush on the young blondes face.

Seeing the friendly banter between Hiccup and his dragon once the shield maiden departs only added to the scenes mirth.

...

The moonlit night in the cove abruptly changes to a sunny mid-morning view of the village. The grounds of the arena have been spruced up in preparation for a fight that everyone is hoping will not happen. The mood in the hall radiates nervousness, as some whisper and chat about how they think things will end. Stoic is seen standing proudly on the platform near the arena, with the largest grin many have seen in a long time.

"Well I can show my face in public again." is answered with loud applause on screen, but a stormy frown of disapproval off screen. Now that the village at large knows what dragons and Hiccup are really like, their chiefs congratulatory speech fills them with horror and discontent.

Stoic's stomach fills with lead. He can hardly stand to hear the awful things he himself is pronouncing to the village about his own son. It seems his other self isn't considering how his words are coming across to the villagers, or more importantly his child. Hiccups crestfallen face hurts the war veteran deep down in his gut. _I'm a terrible father! How could I say those things about Hiccup?_ All Stoick has ever wanted, is for his son to be able to hold his own in the world; to stand proudly like the warrior he is sure Hiccup is capable of being.

 _But no matter where I turn, I always seem to be screwing it up_.

He smiles slightly at Astrid, in silent thanks for her affection toward Hiccup when his boy was clearly in need of it.

"Be careful with that dragon."

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about." _There. There it is again_. An unspoken denouncement that Hiccup is more afraid of his own father than battling a dangerous beast.

"What are you going to do?"

"Put an end to this. I have to try." Nervous jitters bounce around the room. What will the boy do? Many villagers are surprised to find themselves hoping the boy won't be harmed, and then surprised to find that such a notion is surprising to begin with. Gobber in particular is awed that his apprentice is still looking out for his dragon, in the face of the danger he's put himself in.

Astrid too is struck with astonishment. However, in her case it's acknowledging the stunning factor that Hiccup _doesn't_ and _shouldn't have to_ put himself in danger to prove a point, yet he's doing it anyway. It says a lot about his character. She's partially surprised to find that Hiccup Haddock is far braver than she ever pegged him to be, and dumbfounded that no one in their village knew the level of his courage; herself included.

Gobber calls him into the ring, to which he enters to the applause, hoots, and hollers of the villagers who expect blood to be shed. Amazing how only an hour ago, the village would be mirroring themselves on screen; anticipating a bloodbath, excited for it even. Whereas now Berk awaits anxiously, praying for no harm to come to the boy they all detested what feels like a heartbeat ago. Stoick and Gobber share pained looks of mutual fear. Gobber pats his friend on the back in an attempt at reassurance, but both men know that the outcome of this battle is uncertain. They don't know if Hiccup will make it out alive, and that is tearing them both apart inside.

Finally the moment has come. The cage locks are lifted and the Monstrous Nightmare is released, furious and lethal. It prowls around the cage, shooting fire in all directions. Stoick's nerves are nearly shot watching his only son try to placate the enraged reptile. So far though, it seems to be working. Hiccup drops the knife and shield, holding his hands out amicably. Fishlegs is biting his nails, fingers trembling in nervous titters. _Please, Please Thor let this work!_

"What is he doing?" Jeers and shouts from the crowd seem to egg the Nightmare on. The villagers in the hall are on the edge of their seats. Hiccup glances between the nightmare and the chiefs platform before removing the helmet from his head, the last connection to his mother, and throws it away like dirt. In any other situation, many of the villagers would have found it humorous that their startled gasps and frightened exclamations uncannily echoed the villagers in the movie. Stoick closes his eyes, flinching away from the betrayal.

"Stop the fight."

"NO! I need you all the see this." Absently, the chief acknowledges that Hiccup never understood the connection he had with the hunk of metal, as one of his last physical reminders of his lost love. His son sadly never really knew his mother, and as a result wouldn't place such weight on her old possessions.

But knowing that doesn't keep his heart from clenching painfully.

Hiccups assurances that the situation is under control unfortunately fall flat with the chief. Stoick's war hammer smacks against the metal bars of the kill ring, startling the dragon and sending it immediately into an instinctual rampage. Villagers both on and off screen shriek in terror as Hiccup runs for his life, narrowly avoiding being burned to death or run through by the very, very angry dragon.

Stoick is beside himself with shock, fear and guilt. His actions had provoked the Nightmare into attacking. What if Hiccup gets hurt because of his hasty actions?

Both the chief and Astrid make their way into the ring, attempting to distract the beast from torching Hiccup.

Somehow Toothless is alerted to the danger. Many would peg the beasts incredible hearing, but possibly the bond between it and Hiccup somehow notifies the dragon of when it's friend is in trouble. At this point the notion wouldn't surprise anyone. Astrid among many, is praying that Toothless gets to the ring in time to save Hiccup. Shots alternate between the ring and the Night Fury as it crawls out of its pitted cage.

Movie Astrid courageously offers herself as a distraction, hoping the thrown hammer will ebb the Nightmares furious pursuance of Hiccup. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately depending on how you look at it, all she accomplishes is turning that fury on herself. Astrid personally isn't bothered by her other half's decision making. She knows she's more apt to fight the dragon than Hiccup is, so the chances that they'll both make it out alright are pretty good.

Stoick finally makes it to the arena gates. Fin Hofferson's shoulders slump in relief when his niece makes it to safety.

The same can't be said for the Chief's son..

Many villagers are thinking the boy is done for when he's tripped and pinned by the Nightmare. Astrid gasps loudly, the twins jeer, Fishlegs squeaks in fright, and Snotlouts tongue is too frozen to make a sound. Stoick and Gobber's faces become pale as the breath catches in their throats.

To their collective relief Toothless makes it in time. Rambunctious cheers almost drown out the dragon fight on the movie screen. Gobber chuckles manically at the sight of the beastie chasing away the Monstrous Nightmare like a cat would a mouse. Stoick sighs in relief. Never before would he think he'd be grateful toward a dragon.

Hiccup makes it to his feet and rushes at Toothless, pushing at him to escape now that Hiccup is safe.

"Alright, Toothless. Go! Get out of here!" The crowd is gobsmacked, and growing livid. Hiccup tries to shoo the dragon away, but it's in vain. Vikings pour into the arena, with weapons brandished, and still the dragon refuses to move.

Astrid is mystified. The beast did it's job. It has no reason to still be here, and it must know that it'll be killed of it continues to hang around. She comes to the realization that Toothless perceives the vikings as another threat just as Stoick grabs a hammer off the arena wall and charges with a roaring war cry.

Movie Astrid cries, "NO Stoick don't!"

Vikings descend on the dragon, but Toothless beats them all away with his tail, his eyes fixed on Stoick.

"No, Dad. Don't! You're only making it worse!"

But Neither Astrid or Hiccups calls could stop the dragon from charging and pining the Chief to the ground. Toothless inhales and the hall braces themselves. Stoick shuts his eyes again, not particularly wanting to see his death at the hands of his sons dragon. Not that he didn't deserve this, he supposed. After all, he's responsible for putting Hiccup in danger.

But Hiccups strangled cry is followed by a choking noise. Stoick peeks open and eye, then the other; marveling at the beast's puzzled, but otherwise meek expression. Hiccup was able to prevent the dragon from killing him with a single word. The villagers gaped at the potential that lay before them. How extraordinary, Hiccup's talent was. To possess the power to wield a dragons firepower... the benefits this could reap for Berk...

"Get him!" Spitelout Jorgensen's shout, shook the great hall from their musings. Vikings rush the Night Fury, pinning him to the ground. Astrid is seen holding Hiccup back, while Stoick stumbles to his feet, fuming and shaken. He's presented with an axe, but discards it and orders the dragon to be locked away with the rest. He grabs his son by the scruff of the neck and drags him out of the arena.

Gobber's mind is eased that at least his apprentice is unharmed, for now. The look on his best friends face when he dragged Hiccup away, however, did not give him hope that the two would be reconciling their differences. Gobber only hoped that Stoick's anger didn't get the best of him.

 **My apologies for this late update, school has been insane. If it counts for anything this chapter is the longest thus far. I thought you guys deserved a longer chapter after waiting so patiently. Unfortunately, due to school I can't promise that the next few chapters will be perfectly on time, but I will get them out as soon as I possibly can. Thank you guys for supporting this story, and I hope you all have a great day!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Hiccup is thrown into the darkened great hall by the scruff of his collar. Stoick's face is a storm of barely concealed fury. Gobber's hopes that the two might be able to reconcile their differences in this alternate future are quickly dwindling. Stoick mumbles something about seeing signs and Gobber immediately thinks of Valka. Hiccup is so much like her, and the poor boy doesn't even realize it. The old blacksmith glaces sideways at his friend and Chief. Stoick's face first appears to be an emotionless mask, but Gobber knows better. Stoick's gaze isn't on the image screen any-longer. He's looking slightly above the pictures, and the strain to appear emotionless reads like crystal clear water.

Gobber pats his friends shoulder comfortingly. Stoick looks over at him and the men share a resigned smile. No matter what happens in this alternate future, it can't be as bad as what's already transpired.

"We had a deal!" Ok, it is still pretty bad.

Hiccup goes on to try explaining the situation from his perspective, but it soon becomes clear that the Chief won't be persuaded or consoled.

"They've killed HUNDREDS of us!" Stoick shouts.

"And we've killed THOUSANDS of them!" Hiccup shouts back. This gives everyone in the hall pause. They've never thought of the war that way; from the dragons viewpoint. They've never had cause to until now.

"They defend themselves, that's all." Gobber in particular has never been one to deeply puzzle over the beasts motives for raiding. Like everyone else, he always assumed that they were gluttonous and deviant in nature. "They raid us because they have to-" Stoick wonders for the first time, what would have become of the dragons if Hiccup had never discovered the truth- that they were pawns in a much larger problem for the archipelago. What would have become of Berk? What would now become of his son?

Stoick almost turns to stare at the young Valkarie, hoping she can give him some inclination on these questions, but when Hiccup blurts out the information on the Nest, the hall can tell this "discussion" has officially come to an end.

Stoick is beginning to resent _himself_ for his behavior. Sure, he can freely admit that he was infuriated and betrayed when Astrid first came to him with the rather unbelievable news of his sons treachery. But now that he understands what Hiccup was trying to show them all along, all he feels is self-loathing.

He glances up at the wall just in time to see himself knock Hiccup onto the floor. Shame colors his cheeks and he can't look at the picture wall anymore. Sadly, that doesn't prevent his ears from hearing the words that he'd give anything to take back. "You're not a Viking...You're not my son."

Oh what he wouldn't give to have Hiccup back in his arms, safe and sound. He'd spend the rest of his days apologizing to his boy, begging him to believe that no matter what Stoick had always loved him, if given the chance. Even given everything that had happened to them in the past month, Stoick could still say that he loved his son. Even while feeling utterly betrayed, Stoick couldn't erase the love he held for the last tie he had to his beloved Valka. Hiccup reminds him of her so much, and he hates himself for pushing that away.

In fact, now that he knows the trials Hiccup went through to bond with dragons, and everything he tried to do for Berk, he couldn't be prouder of him. He silently swears to himself that if ever given the opportunity, he will ensure that his sons knows just how sorry he is for ever doubting him.

Loud music brings the chiefs attention back to the image wall. The village is preparing for war like a well oiled machine. Stoick normally would be filled with pride that his people are so efficiently equipped to go to war when the need arises, but under the circumstances...

Catapults are lowered from the cliffs. Vikings are busy loading heavy artillery into every crevice of the awaiting ships. Children and the elderly gather to watch and apprehensively wish their families well. Toothless is lifted onto a ship, chained to a pallet from muzzle to tail. He looks miserable. Hiccup is spotted standing alone at the top of the docks, solemnly gazing down at the ordered chaos below. Stoick internally cringes at his sons helpless expression.

Astrid, who had been silent through Stoick and Hiccup's entire argument, stared at the screen in disbelief. She ached to go find the boy who had turned her whole world upside down in the span of a few hours, and comfort him.

Stoick boards the ship Toothless has been loaded onto and shouts for the armada to get moving. A close view of his face reveals only a cold stare that broaches no argument or persuasion. It's a familiar expression to the villagers, whenever the Chief needs to stand resolute in his decision making. Somehow though, the hardened gaze doesn't leave the villagers feeling inspired or safe. And that's all Hiccups fault. It's rather unfortunate that Hiccup has the uncanny gift to shake the foundations of everything the Berkians stand for; and he doesn't even have to be physically present to do it.

To someone like Astrid, who has practically worshiped her Chief since she could toddle, witnessing her largest (pun intended) role model since her fathers passing fumble, shakes her confidence in everything that she's grown up believing is honorable in herself. Stoick is no longer simply the perfect Viking Chief; He's a human capable of making mistakes. How ironic that the person to bring the Chief off his heavenly pedestal, is supposed to be his largest supporter.

 _Oh Hiccup_ , She thinks with a shake of her head.

Stoick's eyes scan over the ships leaving port, and he spots Hiccup standing alone perched on the edge of the cliff. Ever so slightly that it's barely even there, Hiccup shakes his head in a last attempt to dissuade Stoick from leaving. Stoick breaks the stare and turns to Toothless, fuming.

"Lead us home, devil." Stoick growls. The Chief and dragon glare hatefully at each other.

Hiccup stands at the tops of the docks, shoulders slumped in defeat watching the ships leave and powerless to do anything about it; but he won't leave. Even after the ships have disappeared from view he doesn't seem to have the will power to move. Surely he should be preparing to leave Berk? As soon as the warriors return he'll be banished, and wouldn't Hiccup prefer to beat them to it and leave under his own power?

Astrid appears, standing behind him, a doleful expression worrying her brow. She steps up beside him staring out at the empty horizon, the silence between them comfortable.

"It's a mess," She says, "You must feel horrible. You've lost everything- your father, your tribe, your best friend."

"Thank you for summing that up." The audience chuckles sadly.

He muses aloud whether killing Toothless would have saved him and the village all this trouble, and Astrid immediately agrees with him. None of this chaos _would've happened_ if he had just killed the dragon. He wouldn't be banished and Thor knows where right now if he had just followed tradition like the rest of them. Astrid herself still can't fathom _why_ he didn't kill the Night Fury, and she's now seen that he had a perfect opportunity to do so. What stopped him?

She stares at the wall thoughtfully, watching herself badger Hiccup for a straight answer. Suddenly it's very important to her that she understands _why_. He could have had the villages respect, his father's praise, friends, yet he traded it all away for a known enemy... WHY?

Hiccup growls frustratingly, "OH for the love of- I was a coward! I was weak! I wouldn't kill a dragon!"

"You said _wouldn't_ that time." Astrid blinks. She's never seen him this way; resolute. Unmovable. Hiccup is so much _more_ than she's ever given him credit, and it's rather depressing that it's taken her this long to realize it.

Hiccup's flustered expression leaks into his words, "Oh w-whatever! I wouldn't! Three hundred years, and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon." Stoick and Gobber, and in fact many adults in the hall can't help but absently noting how his statement isn't technically true; Hiccup's late mother had never slayed a dragon either. Maybe it was a family abnormality. No one has much time to ponder this angle though as Astrid next words pierce every Berkian in the heart.

"First to ride one though." Even Hiccup looks struck by this revelation. She presses him to open up more.

"I wouldn't kill him, because he looked a frightened as I was. I looked at him..." Hiccup's gaze is boring into Astrid with such intensity that the breath catches in the girls lungs, "and I saw myself."

Stoick's eyes burned with disgrace. He had done this. Not just banishing his child, but for allowing Hiccup to become ostracized in the first place. If only he had done more for Hiccup in his childhood, than maybe they never would have reached this point.

Gobber frowns down at his lap. He knew the lad well enough to know that Hiccup's time in the village had been hard on him, but could the boys spirit have really been trodden upon enough to where he identified more with a dragon than his own people? Regret didn't feel like an adequate enough emotion to Gobber. Astrid felt similarly; in fact all of Berk had a little guilt to share in. They all had played a part in Hiccup's treatment over the years.

Astrid glances out at the open sea, "I bet he's really frightened now. What are you gonna do about it?"

Hiccup shrugs pointedly and points out the obvious; something stupid. A few villagers laugh, the scene suddenly taking a sharp swing upward.

Suddenly Hiccup get this twinkle in his eyes. Uncustomary, Berk begins whispering amongst each other; His excitement and anticipation reaching out to everyone. He turns and sprints for the village. Astrid races after him, a wide grin on her face.

 **I am Really sorry for the long wait. School is intense right now, and writing is much lower on my priority list. I hope y'all can understand and forgive me. I can't promise that I'll have a new update for this weekend, but I will get out the next handful of chapters as soon as I am able to. Thank you guys for your patience and continued support! I hope you liked this chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The next shot reveals Berks entire fleet of war ships fading into the fog of Hellheims Gate. Stoick is praying that they will all make it out alive; praying that his poor judgement doesn't cost him the lives of his loyal villagers.

When they are all finally enveloped in the fog that surrounds the Nest, Gobber plucks up the courage to poke his friend and Chief for a battle plan. Sadly, Stoick is not very forthcoming. In another situation, where people weren't contemplating potentially witnessing their own deaths, many Berkians would probably have found some humor in the friends exchange.

Gobber has always been a terrible liar, and his skills at seeming nonchalant are so minimal that if someone had ever bothered to strike a bet with him on whether he could convince them to believe of something that wasn't true about himself, he'd have fallen bankrupt before lunchtime.

But now was not the time for such issues. Stoick, in spite of his faults, or maybe because of them, was probably the one of the most stubborn individuals on Berk. If Hiccup, whom the villagers were learning was just as stubborn as his father, could not convince the Chief to rethink this assault on the Nest, they doubted anyone else could.

Suddenly the chiefs attention is drawn to the dragon chained behind them. Toothless' ear plates start twitching and a low rumbling emits from his throat. The sound is rather foreboding. While the Chief makes his way to the wheel, the teens start whispering amongst themselves. Ruff and Tuff bang their helmets together, excited to see the dragon fight. The ships maneuver around each sea stack effortlessly.

Suddenly, the picture changes. Hiccup is standing in the kill ring staring up at the monstrous nightmares cage. What in Loki's name?

"If your planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely go with the Gronkle." The audience chuckles, much to Fishlegs embarrassment.

Tuffnut stands on his bench while his movie self is pronouncing his greatness, and is about to speak when his sister kicks his legs out from under him and he falls backwards onto the floor. The other teens howl with laughter. Stoick and Gobber and a few other villagers turn to see what the fuss is about. Stoick just rolls his eyes when he sees Tuffnut on the floor. _Teenagers_. By the time the kids get control of themselves, Astrid is asking Hiccup what his plan really is. Many Berkians are actually anxious to hear it too.

But of course the pictures just had to turn back to the war ships as they approached their imminent death. As the rumbling from Toothless is amplified by more and more dragons, the ships pass an outdated Berkian war vessel that is sitting perpendicular between two rocks, its sail torn and scorched.

"Oh... I was wondering where that went." said both Gobbers. Stoick flips his gaze back and forth from the screen, to his friend sitting beside him in astonishment.

"Come now, Stoick. It's me. Or it will be, I don' know how these blasted picture thingy's work." Gobber groaned. Stoick, try as he might, couldn't help releasing a little chuckle at his friends grumpy nature. Gobber tries to push his friend away for laughing at him, but only manages to jostle Stoicks shoulder slightly.

Hiccup is calmly leading the once deadly Monstrous Nightmare, out of its cage with nothing more than a gentle hand near its snout. The sight was nerve-wracking for Stoick, who had just seen the beast try to kill his boy mere minutes ago.

Snotlout picks up the shortened end of a spear, but Astrid smacks his shoulder and he puts it down immediately. Astrid leans around Fish and glares at Snotlout as if to say, _did you really think that would protect you_? Snot tries to give her a cheeky grin, but when he realizes she's not amused he shrinks back with a frown. Fishlegs is so intrigued by the dragons display of affection when Hiccup places Snotlout's reluctant hand on the dragons snout that he doesn't realize until Astrid punches his shoulder that he'd been making the bench shake with his excited bouncing.

Snotlout is secretly thrilled and secretly terrified that he is the first among the teens, minus Hiccup, okay... and maybe Astrid too, that gets to touch a dragon. Of course his jubilation is gone immediately when Hiccup just up and leaves. "Where are you going?"

"Your gonna need something to help you hold on." Hiccup says as he picks out a coil of rope. The teens turn to see the other three dragons kept in the ring for training, released from their cages, and everyone (minus Tuffnut) comes to the same realization. _Oh boy,_ Gobber thinks. Fishlegs squeaks loudly, in a very shrill manner that has his face turning beet red when some of the villagers laugh. Snotlout stands and starts flexing his arms, much to Astrids revulsion and she throws her cup at him to get him to sit back down. He gets the message pretty quickly. Ruffnut is yelling about how she's gonna get the best dragon and it's only then that Tuffnut seems to understand whats going on.

"Wait. We get to ride dragons now too?" he asks stupidly.

"Yeah. Wake up bro" Ruffnut teases, "but you're not getting anywhere near my dragon-"

But Tuff's not really listening to her anymore. He stands on top of their table and loudly pronounces to the great hall that he is the worlds deadliest weapon and that he's gonna save them all, much to Stoicks annoyance. The large Chief raises his head to the ceiling and silently pleads with the Gods to never allow the twins to own a dragon.

The hall groans collectively at the teens antics, but it doesn't escape their notice that Hiccup's plan is to steal the arena dragons and fly out to the nest and save them all; hopefully before their torched to death by that monster dragon. Stoick is trying not to admit to himself that having the teenagers show up might actually be helpful.

When the images change once again, Stoick is sternly giving instructions for the upcoming battle. The tactics seem clever, but the village knows that they are working with outdated information on the nest, and truly have no idea how this fight will turn out. Still, Stoick goes ahead with the plan and all does seem to be going well, at first. Even when the flaming boulder is launched into the nest revealing just how many dragons the archipelago is really home to, things seem okay; the dragons flee rather than fight and no one has been seriously injured.

Berk's hopes for a quick and easy victory are quickly shattered though with Toothless' panicked strains against the chains he's bound to. This fight is far from over. Not a second later, possibly the loudest, earsplitting roar to ever grace Berkian ears nearly brings down the walls of the great hall, or at least that's what it feels like the Fishlegs. Stoick shouts for his soldiers to run, and that's when the rest of Berk finally gets to meet the monster in the flesh.

This enormous destructive beast is at fault for every raid on Berkian soil, and Stoick can't take out his anger over the injustice because this beast just can't be beat. It's too big. It's claws can demolish their catapults by stepping on them for Thors sake, and the boulders thrown at it only seem to be agitating the damn thing. Stoick is ready to give up on himself when the monster destroys Berks entire fleet with one breath of fire, nearly killing his men aboard, and leaving them stranded, stuck on this Gods-forsaken island with this monstrosity.

In a last ditch effort to save his warriors, Stoick self-approvingly offers himself and incidentally Gobber as distractions. The thing seems to take the bait. The wooden log thrown at it's face does nothing to actually harm the monster, but it does bring it's full attention down on the blacksmith and Chief. Astrid gasps as it prepares to fire and kill her Chief. Gobber looks over at Stoick but the man has his eyes closed, knowing whats coming, and not particularly upset by it, but also not wanting to see his own death. The tension in the room rises ten-fold as every Berkian braces themselves.

 **Thank you guys for the lovely reviews! They really do make me smile. I struggled with getting this chapter to turn out well because I have run into a major road block with this story and am not sure what to do about it. The next step of Hiccups journey might have to be altered because the story I had intended to add next I don't have permission to use from the original author... Until I find a solution, I don't know how I'm going to make part 3 work. If this chapter doesn't live up to your expectations I apologize.**


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